IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socres/v27y2022i4p947-963.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mid- and Later Life Cross-Sex Friendships in Minority Ethnic Contexts: Insights From Scotland

Author

Listed:
  • Shruti Chaudhry

Abstract

This article draws on qualitative research among older adults (50+ years) of South Asian heritage in Scotland to explore what cross-sex friendships reveal about the normative tenor of gender, sexualities, and intimate relationships in minority ethnic contexts. I argue that South Asian cultural norms work against the ‘patterning’ and maintenance of cross-sex friendships. When they do occur, they have to be managed with regard to familial ties and community expectations. The risks are greater for women who must deal with policing of their sexuality even as they age. Such friendships signal social change and agency within the diasporic communities. Yet they require negotiation of gendered and ethnic/cultural scripts and point to the continuing significance of kin and community.

Suggested Citation

  • Shruti Chaudhry, 2022. "Mid- and Later Life Cross-Sex Friendships in Minority Ethnic Contexts: Insights From Scotland," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(4), pages 947-963, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:27:y:2022:i:4:p:947-963
    DOI: 10.1177/13607804221123334
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13607804221123334
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/13607804221123334?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lynn Jamieson & David Morgan & Graham Crow & Graham Allan, 2006. "Friends, Neighbours and Distant Partners: Extending or Decentring Family Relationships?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(3), pages 39-47, September.
    2. Lynn Jamieson, 2011. "Intimacy as a Concept: Explaining Social Change in the Context of Globalisation or Another Form of Ethnocentricism?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(4), pages 151-163, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ranjana Raghunathan, 2022. "Everyday Intimacies and Inter-Ethnic Relationships: Tracing Entanglements of Gender and Race in Multicultural Singapore," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(1), pages 77-94, March.
    2. Rosanna Hertz, 2022. "Sociological Accounts of Donor Siblings’ Experiences: Their Importance for Self-Identity and New Kinship Relations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-14, February.
    3. Puxiang Ren & Jakob Emiliussen & Regina Christiansen & Søren Engelsen & Søren Harnow Klausen, 2022. "Filial Piety, Generativity and Older Adults’ Wellbeing and Loneliness in Denmark and China," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(5), pages 3069-3090, October.
    4. Kristen E Cheney, 2022. "Discordant Expectations of Global Intimacy: Desire and Inequality in Commercial Surrogacy," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(1), pages 43-59, March.
    5. Sarah Milton & Kaveri Qureshi, 2022. "Reclaiming the Second Phase of Life? Intersectionality, Empowerment and Respectability in Midlife Romance," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(1), pages 27-42, March.
    6. Nora KOTTMANN & Laura DALES, 2023. "Doing Intimacy in Pandemic Times: Findings of a Large-Scale Survey Among Singles in Japan," Social Science Japan Journal, University of Tokyo and Oxford University Press, vol. 26(1), pages 3-26.
    7. Maree Martinussen, 2019. "Reason, Season, or Life? Heterorelationality and the Limits of Intimacy between Women Friends," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 24(3), pages 297-313, September.
    8. Mohammed Abdel Karim Al Hourani, 2024. "Gendered Interaction and Practices of Intimacy Among Emirati Young Spouses: Exploring the Experiences of Wives," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 29(1), pages 41-61, March.
    9. Shuang Qiu, 2020. "Chinese ‘Study Mothers’ in Living Apart Together (LAT) Relationships: Educational Migration, Family Practices, and Gender Roles," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 25(3), pages 405-420, September.
    10. Punita Chowbey, 2017. "What is Food Without Love? The Micro-politics of Food Practices Among South Asians in Britain, India, and Pakistan," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 22(3), pages 165-185, September.
    11. Komal Niazi & Muhammad Shoaib & Song Qiulian, 2020. "Micro Impacts of a Macro‐Level Trading Partnership: Effects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 79(1), pages 301-322, January.
    12. Kalliopi Kydonaki & Susanne Kean & Jennifer Tocher, 2020. "Family INvolvement in inTensive care: A qualitative exploration of critically ill patients, their families and critical care nurses (INpuT study)," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(7-8), pages 1115-1128, April.
    13. Kong, Shaojun & Guo, Jia & Huang, Dan, 2022. "The girlfriend getaway as an intimacy," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    14. Petra Lemberger & Tony Waters, 2022. "Thailand’s Sex Entertainment: Alienated Labor and the Construction of Intimacy," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-24, November.
    15. Krystal Wilkinson & Jennifer Tomlinson & Jean Gardiner, 2017. "Exploring the work–life challenges and dilemmas faced by managers and professionals who live alone," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 31(4), pages 640-656, August.
    16. Paola Rebughini, 2011. "Friendship Dynamics between Emotions and Trials," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(1), pages 119-127, February.
    17. Lynn Jamieson, 2011. "Intimacy as a Concept: Explaining Social Change in the Context of Globalisation or Another Form of Ethnocentricism?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(4), pages 151-163, December.
    18. Val Gillies, 2011. "From Function to Competence: Engaging with the New Politics of Family," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(4), pages 109-119, December.
    19. Georgia Philip, 2013. "‘Extending the Analytical Lens’[1]: A Consideration of the Concepts of ‘Care’ and ‘Intimacy’ in Relation to Fathering after Separation or Divorce," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 18(1), pages 97-107, February.
    20. Sui-Ting Kong & Petula Sik-Ying Ho & Stevi Jackson, 2021. "Doing being observed: Experimenting with collaborative focus group analysis in post-Umbrella Movement Hong Kong," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 26(3), pages 485-504, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:27:y:2022:i:4:p:947-963. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.