Abstract
It is commonly suggested that older non-Western migrants have a higher risk of experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage than native older adults. However, few researchers have studied the life situation and urban conditions of older migrants in relation to each other and in comparison to native older adults with a similar socioeconomic status. This paper investigates whether different groups of older non-Western migrants (of Surinamese, Moroccan and Turkish origin) in deprived neighbourhoods in Amsterdam experience similar or different levels of multiple disadvantage compared to socioeconomically similar native Dutch older residents living in the same neighbourhoods, and explores how multiple disadvantage can be explained in relation to life and residential histories and neighbourhood changes. Analysis of 85 in-depth interviews indicates that all categories of low-income older adults experienced certain levels of disadvantage, although they evaluated their circumstances using different frames of reference. Regarding health, both native-born and migrant older people experienced chronic illness. However, the results of this study suggest that those in the latter group (especially Moroccans and Turks) experienced health problems and related functional limitations at a younger age. Native Dutch older adults were somewhat better off with respect to the availability of household resources, but compared to older non-Western migrants were more likely to experience the negative effects of neighbourhood deprivation. In summary, this study refines common assertions that older migrants are more disadvantaged than native older adults. Differences in experiences of advantage and disadvantage have their origin in differences in life and residential histories and neighbourhood change.
Highlights
Population ageing and international migration, combined with increasing urbanisation, are major societal trends across the world
Drawing on qualitative data derived from an empirical study conducted in deprived urban areas in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, this paper addresses the following research question: What are the differences in experiences of multiple disadvantage among older non-Western migrants and between older non-Western migrants and socioeconomically similar native Dutch older adults living in deprived neighbourhoods in Amsterdam, and how can this be understood in relation to their life and residential histories and neighbourhood changes?
In this paper we aimed to explore whether different groups of older non-Western migrants living in deprived urban neighbourhoods experience similar or different levels of multiple disadvantage compared to their native Dutch counterparts, and to analyse how multiple disadvantage can be understood in relation to life and residential histories and neighbourhood changes
Summary
Population ageing and international migration, combined with increasing urbanisation, are major societal trends across the world. Among the most vulnerable categories of older people in many cities in Western Europe are nonWestern migrants (Scharf et al 2005a, b; Warnes et al 2004). Older non-Western migrants are generally considered more disadvantaged than native older adults (Warnes et al 2004), but since there are commonly huge socioeconomic differences, a comparison only makes sense when studying older people with a similar socioeconomic position. Drawing on qualitative data derived from an empirical study conducted in deprived urban areas in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, this paper addresses the following research question: What are the differences in experiences of multiple disadvantage among older non-Western migrants (of Surinamese, Moroccan and Turkish origin) and between older non-Western migrants and socioeconomically similar native Dutch older adults living in deprived neighbourhoods.
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