Structural Contexts and Life Course Processes in the Social Networks of Older Mexican Immigrants in the United States
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: There is a rich and varied literature that describes the social networks of older persons.This literature sometimes looks at the structure of social networks as an outcome worthy of study in and of itself (Litwin 1995).More often, social networks are seen as the means to other individual-level ends including health (Seeman 2000) and service use (Cantor & Brennan 2000), as well as community-level outcomes such as pathways for the diffusion of knowledge (Levy-Storms & Wallace 2003) or as leading to social cohesion (Wallace 1992).Regardless of whether networks are seen as ends or means, there are two fundamental limitations to most of the research on social networks of older people.First, the study of networks tends to look at them as relatively fixed entities that are measured at a single point in time.This obscures the fact that social networks are built out of relationships that develop and change dynamically over time, creating a social network lifecourse.The second limitation of much work on social networks of older persons is that it tends to downplay the social structural conditions that shape those evolving networks.Most research focuses on the impact of cultural values and norms in promoting and shaping particular types of networks, but lends less attention to the institutions and social processes that shape peoples' lives.A group that exemplifies the dynamic and structural aspects of social networks is older immigrants from Mexico in the United States.It is well documented that Mexican immigration at
Authors: Miller-Martinez, Dana, Wallace, Steven P.
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W302686558