Everyday discrimination in the neighbourhood: what a ‘doing’ perspective on age and ethnicity can offer

"What's your accent, where are you from?": Language and belonging among older immigrants

Researchers have identified immigration and marginalization as two processes that impact older immigrants' experience of aging in the U.S. Our paper draws on 42 interviews with a diverse group of older American immigrants to center issues of language, accent, and Othering. We argue that the importance of language extends beyond communication for older immigrants, as English proficiency and accent are important boundaries determining inclusion and recognition as an American. Accents are a racialized characteristic that can prompt microaggressions and exclusion. We identified a racial pattern in reported reactions to accents among the participants in our study. White immigrants generally described positive appraisals of their accent, and typically had a choice whether to emphasize their national origins. While white immigrants were viewed as "Acceptable Outsiders," many immigrants of color described microaggressions, ridicule, and discrimination related to their accented speech. We contend that these experiences of Othering can have a profound impact on sense of belonging, as many of the older immigrants of color in our study expressed a persistent sense of exclusion and even alienation. We advance the concept of "aging off center" to describe how repeated experiences of Othering and exclusion shape aging experiences for immigrants of color who are long-term residents of the United States.

Latent variable and clustering methods in intersectionality research: systematic review of methods applications

PURPOSE

An intersectionality framework has been increasingly incorporated into quantitative study of health inequity, to incorporate social power in meaningful ways. Researchers have identified "person-centered" methods that cluster within-individual characteristics as appropriate to intersectionality. We aimed to review their use and match with theory.

METHODS

We conducted a multidisciplinary systematic review of English-language quantitative studies wherein authors explicitly stated an intersectional approach, and used clustering methods. We extracted study characteristics and applications of intersectionality.

RESULTS

782 studies with quantitative applications of intersectionality were identified, of which 16 were eligible: eight using latent class analysis, two latent profile analysis, and six clustering methods. Papers used cross-sectional data (100.0%) primarily had U.S. lead authors (68.8%) and were published within psychology, social sciences, and health journals. While 87.5% of papers defined intersectionality and 93.8% cited foundational authors, engagement with intersectionality method literature was more limited. Clustering variables were based on social identities/positions (e.g., gender), dimensions of identity (e.g., race centrality), or processes (e.g., stigma). Results most commonly included four classes/clusters (60.0%), which were frequently used in additional analyses. These described sociodemographic differences across classes/clusters, or used classes/clusters as an exposure variable to predict outcomes in regression analysis, structural equation modeling, mediation, or survival analysis. Author rationales for method choice included both theoretical/intersectional and statistical arguments.

CONCLUSION

Latent variable and clustering methods were used in varied ways in intersectional approaches, and reflected differing matches between theory and methods. We highlight situations in which these methods may be advantageous, and missed opportunities for additional uses.

Age-friendly for whom? An aperture to the lived experiences of older San Franciscans

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Spatial practices and changing urban environments affecting identity, experiences, and everyday life were examined among a diverse sample of older adults as they negotiated and navigated an age-friendly city.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Ethnographic interviews, observations, and visual methods were used to understand spatial practices and lived experiences of four older adults, who chronicled their lives using disposable cameras.

RESULTS

Informant identities emerged in their everyday practices, reflecting varied positionalities that fundamentally shaped their notions of "age-friendly." Informants sought to sustain or improve their lives while attempting to negotiate socio-environmental forms and forces that often threatened their identity and increased their precarity.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Contrast exists between "invariant" macro/meso issues all older adults face as they age and "multivariant" ways in which age is accomplished based on place, biography, and intersectionality. Age-friendly environments may simultaneously maintain the status quo and exacerbate inequalities. Gerontology must take seriously how stratified life chances can undermine seemingly universal potential benefits of age-friendly environments.