History of Greek Immigration in Canada | Canada.GreekReporter.com

History of Greek Immigration in Canada | Canada.GreekReporter.com

http://www.halifaxgreeks.ca/historicalDocs/GThomasBook/II.2%20adjustmento%20life%20in%20Canada%20mpp.htm

Since the beginning of Greek immigration to Canada- which, as we have seen, was mostly male- many Greek men have married non-Greek women. The earliest immigrants were usually poor, and could not afford expensive trips home in search of Greek wives, nor the costs associated with bringing wives to Canada. They met non-Greek women in their jobs and living places, and they married them. For many others the attraction of a Greek wife who knew one’s language and culture was paramount to a feeling of personal comfort.  Those who had the financial means traveled to Greece to find wives.  During the period from 1950 to 1970 the situation improved somewhat as 10,771 Greek women entered Canada, usually for a variety of domestic positions. This was particularly true in Ontario and Quebec.  Most women were single, so they added to the pool of Greek women available as potential wives for Greek men already in Canada.  In time some of those single Greek women offered to sponsor a husband-to-be from Greece in lieu of a dowry.  Through friends and relatives in Greece some Greek Canadian men arranged for brides whom they had probably never met to come to Canada.  While nowadays most of us regard such “arranged marriages” as strange and unthinkable, the fact is that many of them turned out very well.  Each spouse in the contract knew what was expected.  They worked hard together, they grew together as partners, and they strove to maintain their Greek identity in a different, often hostile world.  In time they became the heads of strong, united families.

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