Summary
Contents
Subject index
Focusing on an overlooked and understudied population, Understanding Older Chicanas examines older Chicanas' lives, status, and public policy needs. Chicana elderly tend to be poor, reflecting the economic position of Chicanos in American society; they also tend to be stereotyped as widows and grandmothers, reflecting the cultural values of Mexican American society. This work shows how Chicana elderly cope with this economic and cultural marginality and how they gain the personal and financial resources they require. Author Elisa Facio also relates how scholars and public policymakers have previously understood Chicana elderly, provides new data on the social meaning of Chicana old age, and points out the implications of that meaning for future policymakers. This perceptive volume is essential reading for those in academic and policy settings who are interested in issues regarding multicultural aging experiences, diversification, life-cycle phases, socialization, and women.
Introduction
Introduction
The aged drew serious attention from policymakers as well as from scholars during the 1930s (Markides & Mindel, 1987). At that time, increased life expectancy and declining fertility had led to increasing numbers of older people. The hardships of the Great Depression also made the aged more visible (Markides & Mindel, 1987, p. 10). The introduction of social security in 1935 and institutionalized retirement at age 65 helped make the aged an “emerging social problem,” a perception that began in the early 1900s (Fischer, 1978, p. 68).
Coupled with this increased visibility of the aged as a social problem has been the growth of social gerontological research since the 1930s, at an accelerating pace. The number and proportion of older people, as well as number ...
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