About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


32 Int'l Migration Rev. 3 (1998)

handle is hein.journals/imgratv32 and id is 1 raw text is: Understanding the Living Arrangements of Latino Immigrants: A Life Course Approach' Susan Blank University of California, Irvine Ramon S. Torrecilha Social Science Research Council Using data from the 1990 Panel Study of Income Dynamics Latino Sample, this study examines three competing hypotheses for understand- ing extended family living among Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban immigrants. The findings indicate no significant relationship between living with extended kin and cultural indicators - such as English fluen- cy - or economic factors - such as employment and income. Rather, the data support a life course explanation. Extended family living arrange- ments among Latino immigrants represent a resource generating strategy for caring for young children and older adults. Differences in age, relative location in the life course, and migration opportunities inform group variation in extended living arrangements for Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban immigrants. These findings verify patterns of household compo- sition among Latino immigrants suggested by nonrandom, ethnograph- ic samples. Although much of the extant literature on Latino immigrants has dealt with the importance of family networks in the immigration process (Massey et al., 1987; Portes and Bach, 1985; Tienda, 1980), research on the living arrange- ments of these migrants remains scant and inconclusive. Two competing hypotheses dominate research on the household composition of Latinos. One such hypothesis suggests that cultural values are the most salient deter- minants of living arrangements among Latinos (Burr and Mutchler, 1993; Perez, 1986; Tienda and Angel, 1982; Tienda and Glass, 1985). The second hypothesis maintains that structural factors, such as economic standing, are more important in determining the living arrangements for this population (Baca Zinn, 1994, 1995; Sanders and Nee, 1996; Vega, 1995). There exists some support for both hypotheses. However, findings regarding the impact of cultural and economic parameters on the living arrangements of Latino 'This project was supported, in part, by a Staff Professional Development Grant from the Social Science Research Council to Ramon S. Torrecilha. We thank Judy Treas and anony- mous reviewers for their comments. @ 1998 by the Center for Migration Studies of New York. All rights reserved. 0197-9183/98/3201.0121 IMR Volume 32 Number 1 (Spring 1998): 0003-0019 3