Full Citation

Title: En la Tercera Edad: Mexican Immigrant Women's Experiences in Older Age

Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis

Publication Year: 2019

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI:

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: This study explores the everyday experiences of Mexican immigrant elder women residing in North County San Diego. While the literature on aging has focused primarily on white, middle to upper class experiences, this study focuses on working-class, elder immigrant women from Mexico and who reside in the United States. A Critical Life Course Framework was used to bridge past and current experiences of elders to make sense of life course transitions, continuity, and contemporary realities. A Community Cultural Wealth Framework was used to highlight their cultural strengths and strategies for navigating life challenges. This study employed 10 semi-structured qualitative interviews to consider how Mexican immigrant women give meaning to their experiences in older age and how those experiences influence the quality of their life. Findings included: the importance of family to elders, the meaning of everyday activities, nature of health and wellbeing, circumstances of livelihood and survivability, gendered experiences of aging such as spousal caretaking and widowhood, and sources of strength and empowerment. Recommendations provided for organizations, counties and national policy on how to better support and recognize the strengths of Mexican immigrant elder women.

Url: http://csusm-dspace.calstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/210000/JaraNoemi_Spring2019.pdf?sequence=1

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Jara, Noemi Adriana

Institution: California State University San Marcos

Department: Sociology

Advisor: Marisol Clark-Ibáñez

Degree: MA

Publisher Location: San Marcos, California

Pages:

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Gender, Migration and Immigration, Other

Countries: