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The Living Arrangements of Older West Indian Migrant Women THE LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF OLDER WEST INDIAN MIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES By PETA-ANNE LIVINGSTON BAKER Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Adviser: Dr. Sharon Milligan Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY January 2006 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of Peta-Anne Livingston Baker Candidate for the Ph.D degree*. Signed Sharon Milligan, Ph.D. Chair of the Committee M. C. Hokenstad, Ph.D . Aloen Townsend, Ph.D. Eleanor Stoller, Ph.D. (Date) October 19, 2005 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. Copyright © by Peta-Anne Livingston Baker All rights reserved I grant to Case Western Reserve University the right to use this work, irrespective of any copyright, for the University’s own purposes without cost to the University or to its students, agents and employees. I further agree that the University may reproduce and provide single copies of the work, in any format other than in or from microforms, to the public for the cost of reproduction. Peta-Anne Livingston Baker For my mother Viola, who stayed so that others could go. Table of Contents Acknowledgements 8 Abstract 9 Chapter One – Introduction 11 Minorities in the Older Population of the U.S. 11 Sources of Difference among Minority Elders 14 The Politics of Race and Aging 15 How Many West Indian Immigrants? 21 The Older West Indian Immigrant Population 24 Significance of this Study 27 Purpose of Study 28 Chapter Two – Literature Review 31 Understanding Caribbean Migration 31 West Indian Migrants in the U.S. Labor Market 36 The Importance of Gender 43 In the Field of Migration 43 In the Discussion of Aging 49 The Significance of the Living Arrangements of Older Persons 52 Theoretical Explanations of Living Arrangements 55 The Rational Choice Model 56 The Life Course Perspective 58 Structural/Intergenerational Exchange Model 60 Correlates of Living Arrangements 62 1 Demographic Correlates 62 Socioeconomic Status and Income 67 Health and Functional Status 68 Kinship Correlates 69 Impact of Immigration on Living Arrangements 72 A Model of the Living Arrangements of Older West Indian Migrant Women 75 Research Questions 79 Chapter Three – Methodology 80 Research Design 80 Data Collection Setting 80 Sampling 80 Study variables and empirical indicators 87 Hypotheses 96 Research Question 1 97 Research Question 2 99 Research Question 3 101 Data Collection 101 Instrumentation 101 Data Management and Analysis 104 Limitations 109 Chapter Four – Results 110 Sample Characteristics 110 2 Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics 111 Research Question 1 111 Migration History 118 Hypothesis Testing: Socioeconomic and Demographic Variables 121 Living Arrangements 128 Household roles 129 Kin networks 132 Women living Alone 134 Correlates of Living Arrangements 143 Headship of Shared Households 149 Summary of Results 151 Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics 151 Living Arrangements 153 Women Living Alone 154 Correlates of Living Arrangements 155 Chapter Five – Discussion and Conclusions 157 Similarities and differences in the profile of older West Indian migrant women 158 Living arrangements 161 Correlates of living arrangements 163 Methodological issues 166 Policy and practice issues 167 Service use and benefit policy 167 3 Social work practice issues 169 Further research 170 Concluding remarks 171 Appendices A. Memorandum of Understanding 173 B. Investigator Respondent Recruitment Guidelines 175 C. Consent Form B (For use by research assistants) 177 D. Consent Form to be used by co-investigator 180 E. Questionnaire 183 References 211 4 List of Tables 1.1 Size and ratios for the U.S. foreign-born population from the West Indies by country of origin, 2000 22 1.2 Comparison of size (in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the total population) of West Indian ancestry population 1990 and 2000 24 1.3 Percentage of persons aged 55+ and 65+ in the U.S. foreign-born population by region of origin in 2000 25 2.1 Leading industrial sectors for foreign-born West Indians in New York City by gender and year (in percentages) 39 2.2 Niche industries for foreign-born West Indian women in New York City by year 2.3 Theoretical source and propositions regarding variables associated with the living arrangements of older West Indian migrant women 76 3.1 Sample size determination 86 3.2 Conceptualization and operationalization of study variables 93 3.3 Statistical tests – Research question 1 105 3.4a & 3.4b Statistical tests – Research question 2 106-107 3.5 Theory based logistic regression models of the likelihood that West Indian migrant women aged 55+ will live in separate households rather than live in a shared household 108 3.6 Statistical tests – Research question 3 108 4.1 Place of birth of study sample (n=107) 110 4.2 Demographic socioeconomic characteristics of study sample compared with 1990 Census (IPUMS) for the state of Connecticut (percentages unless otherwise stated) 113 4.3 Crosstabulations of monthly income of study sample by age group 115 5 4.4 Poverty status by age group – study sample and 1990 Census IPUMS 115 4.5 Health status by age group – study sample and 1990 Census IPUMS 116 4.6 Crosstabulations for self-rated health, limitations and disability by age group (in percentages) 118 4.7 Migration history of study sample (n=107) 120 4.8 Means and standard deviations for monthly income by age group and migration cohort 122 4.9 One-way analysis of variance for the effects of age group and migration cohort on monthly income 123 4.10 Means and standard deviations for self-rated health, health status index, income, age and highest level of education 126 4.11 Correlation of self-rated health, health status index with income, age and highest level of education 127 4.12 Living arrangements of study sample by age group (in percentages) (n=107) 129 4.13 Respondent roles and family need in shared households by age group (in percentages) (n=66) 131 4.14 Aspects of the kin network of study sample by age group (in percentages) 134 4.15 Occupation (current or last worked) of study sample by living arrangement (in percentages) 137 4.16 Poverty status by age group: study sample and women living alone 138 4.17 Means and standard deviations for self-rated health, health status index, income, age and highest level of education for women who live alone (study sample data in parenthesis) 141 4.18 Comparison of correlations of self-rated health and health status index with income, age and highest level of education for women who live alone and study sample 142 6 4.19a & 4.19b Intercorrelation for living in a separate household and predictor variables 144-145 Table 4.20. Results of logistic regression analysis using intergenerational exchange theory to identify correlates of older West Indian migrant women’s residence in separate households (N=104) 146 Table 4.21. Results of logistic regression analysis using transnational migration theory to identify correlates of older West Indian migrant women’s residence in separate households (N= 107) 147 Table 4.22. Results of logistic regression analysis of correlates of older West Indian migrant women’s residence in separate households (N=107) 148 4.23 Intercorrelations for R as head of shared household and predictor variables (N=66) 150 Table 4.24 Results of logistic regression analysis of correlates of older West Indian women’s headship of shared households (N=64) 151 7 Figures Figure 1 Model of the theoretical framework of the correlates of the living arrangements of older West Indian migrant women 78 8 Acknowledgements It is impossible to truly acknowledge the many people at home and abroad who have accompanied and supported me on this journey. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Sharon Milligan, Chair and the other members of my committee, express my appreciation for the assistance and support of the Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences (MSASS), and the School of Graduate Studies, especially with regards ensuring my continued registration in the program. I must make mention of the Dean and Faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Social Work who enthusiastically admitted me into their ranks and thereby made it possible for me to live in Hartford while collecting my data. I would like to acknowledge the financial and/or organizational support of the Board and staff of the Blue Hills Civic Association, of the Director, Administrator and staff of the Department of Elderly Services of the City of Hartford and of its Deputy Mayor Veronica Airey Wilson. Of course this study could not have been undertaken without the interest and participation of the West Indian community in Hartford, especially the West Indian Social Club of Hartford and the many churches in the Blue Hills neighborhood. Finally and very importantly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my biological and extended family in the U.S., Jamaica and elsewhere, to my friends and to my colleagues in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies Mona campus in Jamaica. You were a source of unfailing support. Bless you all. 9 The Living Arrangements of Older West Indian Migrant Women in the United States Abstract by Peta-Anne Livingston Baker The purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge and appreciation of the dimensions of ethnic minority aging by undertaking an exploratory analysis of the older West Indian migrant population in the United States. The study used census and original field survey data to profile the older West Indian migrant population in the state of Connecticut, a region with one of the oldest West Indian communities in the United States.
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