Successful aging: Perception of aged immigrant women from Black Africa in Montreal
Objectives: This article focuses on older immigrant women from Black Africa living in Montreal. Its purpose is to present the meaning that they give to “successful aging” in their hosting country and to highlight the factors they consider essential to experience “a maximum of satisfaction and happiness” during this stage of their life. It is based on the fact that Quebec society is facing an ever increasing aging of its population which is accompanied with a more and more significant ethnocultural diversification due to immigration. Statistically the number of black women over 65 years increases over the years. In Canada, older women in general are victims of various social inequalities. These vulnerabilities are even more flagrant when one comes from a visible ethnocultural community and can have a biopsychosocial impact on the lives of these older women. These situations justify our concern for the quality of life and well-being of these aged women. Method: Our methodology leans on an exploratory qualitative approach conducted with seven women aged from 65 to 77 years who immigrated to Canada when they were more than 50 years old. Five of them had less than 10 years of stay in Quebec while the other two were 18 and 20 years. To gather their views, semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded. The content was analyzed with an approach inspired by analysis techniques of data from the grounded theory. Then, an intersectional analytical framework has been favored, firstly to understand the complex nature of various forms of identities and social inequalities experienced by the participants, and secondly to examine the connections between discriminatory phenomena such as ageism, racism or sexism, ethnicity and even the migratory journey. Results: As results, this research allows noting that older immigrant women of Black Africa are facing many difficulties due to the interrelation of their age, their ethnic background, their gender, with other aspects of their identity such as culture, language, and migratory course. Anyway, it is important to emphasize that the majority looked at aging and this time of their life as normal and even as a privilege. Their comments reflected no denial, no bitterness, and no regret. These women who presented themselves as resourceful people, hardworking, determined and combative have enumerated four key elements that they find essential for successful aging: social engagement, intergenerational relationships, financial autonomy and faith. Even though a multitude of obstacles affects their perception of “successful ageing,” their stories have demonstrated their ability to cope with difficulties and have shown their inner strengths. Black African older women are working hard to integrate or adjust to an environment in which changes and novelty are not always favorable to their development. Conclusion: If old age is undoubtedly a woman’s world, it is also more and more diverse and multi-ethnic. In an ever-changing immigration environment, the results of this study cannot be generalized because of the limited number of participants. However, this research clearly shows that significant efforts are still required to tackle the problems and obstacles faced by older and aging ethnic minorities. Beside limitations identified in this study, several avenues of research could be considered, particularly with regard to their relationship to health services, in conjunction with language and cultural barriers. It is therefore appropriate to interpellate government officials to take into account in their new social policies: gender, ethnicity, economic conditions, social isolation, and poor access to health services of aged immigrant women.