Laggards No More: The Changed Socioeconomic Status of Francophones in Quebec

Abstract

The economic returns to knowing French in the Quebec labour market have increased steadily since 1970, while the returns to knowing English have decreased. The ability to speak both English and French has increased the earnings of anglophone men since 1980 and anglophone women since 1990, while the returns to bilingualism for francophone men and women remain positive. The health state of the French language in Quebec is also evident in the impressive growth in ownership of Quebec's economy by francophone firms, from 47 percent to 67 percent since the early 1960s.social policy, francophone socioeconomic status