A Better Life? Immigrant Mothers’ Experiences Building Economic Security

Abstract

Immigrants comprise 13 % of the US population. Immigrant families often come to the US for a better life and to improve their economic opportunities; however, immigrants experience higher levels of poverty than their native-born counterparts. Despite their financial concerns, less than half of eligible immigrant families in the US receive government assistance. Framed within ecocultural theory, qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews with 40 low-income immigrant mothers from Latin America and Africa, were conducted to examine the economic experiences of immigrant families, including the process of building economic security. The findings indicate that mothers’ development of economic security was shaped by their ecocultural context including the intersection of: accessibility of government programs, family situations, and unique needs of their families.