Dr. Naomi Lightman
Dr. Lightman is on sabbatical during the 2026/27 academic year.
Areas of Expertise
migration; care work; gender; inequality; critical social policy; research methods
Research
My ongoing program of research uses both quantitative and qualitative research methods as praxis-oriented strategies for social justice. I examine: 1) the consequential gaps and uneven trajectories of migrant and racialized women working in low-wage occupations in health and education (���care work���) in national and cross-national comparative perspective, and 2) the intersections of gendered immigration policies, transnational identities and practices, and precarious employment in Canada���s labour market, in a context of related stratifications tied to race, gender and country of birth.
To date, my research has involved community-based collaborations with four social agencies, including the Calgary Immigrant Women���s Association, the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership, Social Planning Toronto, and the Wellesley Institute, while providing extensive undergraduate and graduate training opportunities. My research has led to twenty peer-reviewed publications in highly ranked journals, including Gender & Society, European Sociological Review, International Migration Review, and Health and Social Care in the Community, and has been supported by seven tri-council and institutional grants for which I was Principal Investigator (jointly valued at over $215,000).
Currently I am Principal Investigator of an Insight Grant funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Counsel of Canada titled ���Precarities and Disparities: Female Immigrant Care Workers Over the Life Course.��� This project involves community-based interviews with immigrant women personal support workers in Toronto, examining how the pandemic has impacted their livelihoods, health, and well-being.
Websites
Courses
- SOC 411: Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
- SSH 301: Research Design and Qualitative Methods
- PD 9103: Social Policy
Graduate Program Membership
I am interested in working with graduate students exploring the areas of gender, migration, and care work.
Community & Professional Service
- Communications Officer,
- Member, Steering Committee,
- Member, Advisory Board, (2021-2022)
- Member, Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee, Social Wellbeing Advisory Committee, City of Calgary (2021-2022)
- Member, Advisory Board, Immigrants in Essential Work Project, (2021-2022)
- Mentor, Canadian Sociological Association���s Mentorship Programme for Black, Indigenous and Racialized Graduate Students,
- Chair, John Porter Tradition of Excellence Book Award Nominations Committee, (2020-2021)
- Member, Research Advisory Committee ��� Understanding Experiences of Inclusion Project, (2018-2020)
Recent Publications
Lightman, N. and Kevins, A. 2025. Journal of European Social Policy 0(0): 1-15. Online First.
Wilson, B., N. Lightman and R.A. Castaneda. 2025. Toronto: Social Planning Toronto.
Kevins, A. and N. Lightman. 2025. International Journal of Social Welfare 34(e12710): 1-19.
Lightman, N. 2024. Canadian Public Policy 50(1): 38-50.
Lightman, N. 2023. Journal of Industrial Relations 66(1): 79-103.
Good Gingrich, L., R. Banerjee & N. Lightman. 2023. Canadian Ethnic Studies 55(2): 1-23.
Lightman, N. and A. Hamid. 2023. Journal of Aging and Social Policy 25(3): 261-286
Thomas, C. and N. Lightman. 2022. Canadian Ethnic Studies 54(1): 29-58.
Lightman, N. 2021. Health and Social Care in the Community 30(4): e1343-e1351.
Lightman, N., R. Banerjee, P. Kelly, E. Tungohan and C. de Leon. 2021. International Migration 60(2): 29-48.
Kevins, A. and N. Lightman. 2021. Social Science Research 104: 102666.
Lightman, N. and A. Kevins. 2021. Gender & Society 35(5): 778-805.
Lightman, N. 2021. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 28(4): 971-998.
Lightman, N. and C. Link. 2021. Journal of Comparative Family Studies 52(2): 206-244.
Lightman, N. 2021. Canadian Studies in Population 48(1): 29-57.
Kevins, A. and N. Lightman. 2020. Comparative European Politics 18: 460-484.