Understanding the Remittance Gender Gap among Hispanics in the U.S.: Gendered Norms and Role of Expectations

Using the 2006 Latino National Survey (LNS), this study analyzes the existence of a gender gap in favor of men in the monetary remittance behavior of Hispanics residing in the United States. Findings indicate that cultural gender norms and expectations in the country of origin play a key role. The study shows that women migrants are less likely to remit than men and, when they do, they transfer smaller amounts. The remittance gender gap is not universal among subgroups, since it is only observable among Hispanics who came to the US to improve their economic situation, plan to return to their home country, and have low income and low schooling. An index on migrants’ perceptions of gender roles as a proxy for cultural gendered norms is constructed and shows that more traditional gender views are associated with a significant gender gap in favor of men in remittances

Ageing and Long-Term Care Planning Perceptions of Hispanics in the USA: Evidence from a Case Study in New London, Connecticut

This paper explores the ageing attitudes and long-term care planning behavior of adult Hispanics in New London, Connecticut, a town with 30 thousand inhabitants that is rapidly ageing. We conducted six focus groups and had 37 participants share their ageing perceptions and long-term care needs. Our main findings suggest that informal care arrangements are vulnerable and unsustainable especially since women have historically and disproportionately provided most family eldercare even at their own personal and financial expense. Though male participants expected their female relatives to care for them when they age and need personal assistance, female participants did not necessarily expect the same from their relatives including their daughters. Also, both formal and government long-term care systems lack cultural competence and can be prohibitively costly. Therefore, Hispanics plan for ageing within their circles of family care and their resilience in a context of cultural exclusion and socio-economic disadvantage epitomizes strong intergenerational values. These support networks may help explain why may outlive whites (the Hispanic paradox ) who, on average, have higher wealth and education levels. Long-term care planning is a complex process that cannot be relayed to families only. Adequate training for family members from other relatives, and from private and government entities to appropriately convey this type of planning is vital to ensure that Hispanic families understand their options

Differences in the Experiential Well-being of Hispanics and Non-Hispanics Engaged in Elder Care

Little attention has been given to how Hispanics differ from non-Hispanics in the well-being they experience while engaging in elder care. This paper uses the 2012 and 2013 American Time Use Surveys (ATUS) and their corresponding Well-being Modules (WBM) to examine how elder care is associated with experiential well-being and how this differs for Hispanic and non- Hispanic caregivers. The sample is limited to regular caregivers for the elderly as defined in the ATUS. Ordered probit models are estimated for several measures of experiential well-being, separately for Hispanic and non-Hispanic subsamples. These measures include how meaningful an activity episode is for a respondent, and how happy, sad, tired, in pain, and stressed they felt during the activity. Standard controls, including health status of the respondent, are included as regressors. Results suggest that, while Hispanics reported a greater psychic benefit (happiness and meaning) when engaging in elder care compared to other daily activities, they also reported higher sadness levels when caring for household members. Although the direct cause of sadness cannot be identified, these conflicting results are consistent with the literature suggesting that, even though Hispanics value collectivistic culture traits such as familism and have positive caregiving examples from family members, they also have weaker support networks and are reluctant to report burden.12 month embargo; published 26 April 2021This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Familism and social inclusion: Hispanics in New London, Connecticut

This paper analyzes the financial support and inclusiveness within Hispanic families in New London, Connecticut, and the causes of their social exclusion in the larger society. We designed and administered a survey of 114 items that was answered by 148 participants representing 1,3% of the non-Puerto Rican Hispanic population. Using factor analysis, we reduced a large number of items in two familism scores to four latent factors: "Financial Support for Family", "Obligation to Family", "Plan to Return", and "Filial Responsibility". We found that financial support for family and obligation to family are strongly endorsed by participants. Approximately one-half would return back to their home countries where they believe to be happier. One-fifth rejects this option. Three-quarters of participants remit money to family, parents in particular, who reside in countries of origin. In contrast to other studies, remitting money is not affected by any given personal characteristic such as gender, income or level of education. Similarly, participants remit irrespective of their degree of self-reported familism measured by scores on the latent factors. A large incidence of poverty among this population, lack of English proficiency, low skills, immigration status, and a lack of voice and political representation inhibit their social inclusion

Challenges and Rewards of Creating a Caregiving Website for New London, Connecticut

This paper addresses the successes and challenges of our community-engaged learning experience on long-term caregiving for Hispanics in New London, Connecticut. Our earlier research revealed lack of accessible information for caregivers in this community. Accordingly, we developed a website in a culturally and linguistically competent format to help alleviate such information shortage. Before launching the website, we used focus groups for constructive feedback to enhance its helpfulness. This four-year long research project will culminate with the website activation and another partnership between Connecticut College and community organizations. We recognize the importance of collaborating with community partners to manage and ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of this project. The absence of sufficient resources supporting Hispanic families caring for their aging loved ones makes it increasingly necessary that public policy changes, such as the creation of a case management office, improve the well-being of aging minorities and underserved families