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A Better Life? Immigrant Mothers’ Experiences Building Economic Security

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Listed:
  • Colleen Vesely
  • Rachael Goodman
  • Marriam Ewaida
  • Katina Kearney

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. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Colleen Vesely & Rachael Goodman & Marriam Ewaida & Katina Kearney, 2015. "A Better Life? Immigrant Mothers’ Experiences Building Economic Security," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 514-530, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:36:y:2015:i:4:p:514-530
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-014-9422-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vericker, Tracy & Fortuny, Karina & Finegold, Kenneth & Ozdemir, Sevgi Bayram, 2010. "Effects of Immigration on WIC and NSLP Caseloads," Contractor and Cooperator Reports 292083, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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    Cited by:

    1. Juyoung Jang & Sharon M. Danes, 2016. "Social Capital Accessibility of Intermarrieds," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 553-565, December.
    2. Terri Friedline & Zibei Chen & So’Phelia Morrow, 2021. "Families’ Financial Stress & Well-Being: The Importance of the Economy and Economic Environments," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 34-51, July.
    3. Stig S. Gezelius, 2017. "Considerate Exchange: Exploring Social Exchange on Family Farms," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 18-32, March.
    4. Jordan A. Arellanes & Ruben P. Viramontez Anguiano & Brenda J. Lohman, 2017. "The Desire to Thrive: Families Overcoming Economic Hardships Through Educational Aspirations," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 338-353, September.
    5. Himmet Karadal & Belal Hamed Taher Shneikat & A. Mohammad Abubakar & Omar Khalid Bhatti, 2021. "Immigrant Entrepreneurship: the Case of Turkish Entrepreneurs in the United States," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 12(4), pages 1574-1593, December.

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