It might be possible to consider the research question Newman as to what extent racial minorities are neglected within the governmental system of New York and how the personal experiences of such groups shape their life. This study looked at the mid-life and later life experiences of Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and African Americans living in inner cities (Newman, 2006). Consequently, Newman explores various directions of this question and tries to incorporate race, age, financial income, and other socioeconomic factors to distinguish the details of what constitutes being a minority.
A fundamental tenet of gerontology holds that aging in place is necessary for long-term health. The argument claims that moving from one location to another is a major cause of problems in old age. Healthy aging is facilitated by living at home, being near friends, and participating in the community. If older persons are allowed to stay in their own homes, in cozy settings, they can keep treasured identities and lifestyles that were developed and molded during adulthood. With this viewpoint, Katherine Newman approaches the issue of aging as one of the underrepresented groups in her work.
The investigation lacks theoretical components; hence the literature consulted is confined to data samples and governmental policies that have an impact. However, certain theoretical elements may be traced back to the life course or cumulative disadvantage hypothesis. The article uses a life cycle perspective and demonstrates how people mature in very diverse ways. However, the literature in this book serves as supplemental information or the foundation for developing a conclusive viewpoint on the problem of race in the New York community.
The Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Urban Areas Survey (ERMUAS) New York sample was used to choose the participants randomly. The ERMUAS research was carried out in conjunction with the Midus Survey on Successful Mid-Life Development by the MacArthur Foundation to represent low-income and racial and ethnic minority Americans in Chicago and New York. African American, Dominican, and Puerto Rican men and women from Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx in New York City participated (Newman, 2006). The participants were twenty-five to seventy-four years old, with the majority falling between the ages of forty-one and sixty-eight (Newman, 2006). Ten percent of the sample had bachelor’s degrees, and almost two-thirds had finished high school as their last educational level.
Focused life-history interviews were conducted face-to-face and tape-recorded for a total of around three hours. Migration history, job, education of the responder and family members, perspectives on the opportunity, welfare, racial relations, views of middle life, and health and well-being were some of the subjects discussed (Newman, 2006). Participants also answered questions on their general demographics, employment history, health, education, home information, neighborhood experiences, and services.
A fixed-choice poll was used in the original New York survey for the ERMUAS investigation. For this subsample, a qualitative, targeted life-history interview was created. The administration of the interviews took around three hours, and the replies were captured on tape (Newman, 2006). If they wished to participate, participants were sent a letter and invited to respond by postcard (Newman, 2006). The people who did not respond to the postcards were called. The majority of the time, interviews took place at participants’ homes and were planned at their leisure.
The book amplifies how ethical concerns impact the unique experiences of minorities. The influence of numerous elements as viewed by the participants is examined by Newman. The unethical acts participants experienced throughout their lives show the poor working conditions that made up New York’s inner city between 1995 and 1996 (Newman, 2006). In particular, members of minority groups frequently face different forms of discrimination, frequently are unable to pursue further education, and some have difficulty completing high school. The author offers suggestions for state policymakers to consider to address these problems and develop an action plan.
Her book is influenced by a life path perspective, which draws attention to both local history (such as neighborhood changes, work cycles in reaction to economic shifts, and the crack wars) and the associated national environment. Together, these factors shed light on how their lives have been shaped by opportunities—such as economic booms and the jobs in the public sector made possible by affirmative action. In addition, limitations—such as the intersecting class, racial, and gender discrimination that single mothers experience in the labor market had a major influence on their lives.
In her work, Newman utilizes a narrative analysis which implies listening to individuals’ interpretations and analyzing their significance. This method allows us to obtain insight into how individuals interact with and make sense of reality by analyzing their stories and how they are delivered. For instance, narrative analysis might be used to determine whether how something is expressed is significant. For example, the narrative of a prisoner attempting to defend their crime may reveal their perspective on the world and the legal system. Similarly, analyzing how entrepreneurs discuss the challenges they face in their businesses or cancer patients share their stories of optimism might yield profound insights regarding their mentalities and viewpoints. In other words, narrative analysis involves paying close attention to the stories that individuals tell and, more crucially, how they do it.
Newman used this approach to her work and added the excerpts from the interview for detailed comprehension and dramatic effect on the readers. This approach to data interpretation allows for incorporating more descriptive elements into the final research. Furthermore, this method has an advantage in the provision of details and analysis of multi-level social reality that incorporates numerous disciplines such as ethnography, sociology, economics, and politics.
Katherine Newman questions the idea that senior citizens’ living situations are consistently secure and attractive in this thoroughly researched work. The idea of this book is that middle-class suburban Whites and impoverished inner-city minority group members have very different life trajectories in their middle and senior ages. According to Newman, Black people’s ongoing economic inferiority is the key factor contributing to early aging and the prevalence of major health issues (Newman, 2006, p. 114). Her in-depth qualitative interviews skillfully lead the reader through the evidence of several facets of disadvantage, such as the respondents’ experiences with prejudice and stereotypes in employment, which put Blacks on the lowest rung of the economic ladder (Newman, 2006, p. 196).
According to Newman (2006), some of the main obstacles preventing minority elders in internal New York from cooperating on their way out of poverty by the time they retire. The public education system, health insurance coverage, life expectancy, morbidity rates, and marital and family patterns. However, she can learn through her in-depth interviews that these minority elderlies also exhibit survival, resilience, adaptability, and improvisation as they age, despite their hardships, failures, and presumably insurmountable social, physical, and financial limits.
Newman offers a persuasive, descriptive study of the potential implications of shifting neighborhood social and economic structures for intergenerational relationships, family responsibilities, and stability in the old life. This part demonstrates how various aspects of inequality (race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, neighborhood) shape our lives from birth. They may have an impact on the future landscapes of economic security, intergenerational relationships, and physical and mental health (Newman, 2006). This is done through the use of respondents’ personal narratives and quantitative data. No quantitative study could ever reveal to a researcher just how many of these men and women maintain long-term relationships outside of marriage. These partnerships come and go with the needs and resources that crosscut their relationships.
In her work, Katherine Newman explores a historically understudied demographic in the inner city: minorities who are middle-aged and older. In New York City, life history interviews were conducted with respondents who were African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans. In his discussion of these statistics, Newman (2006) uses both national data gathered from middle-aged and older people as well as data from a bigger New York City poll. Her judgments regarding the conditions of the respondents and how they may be improved are strengthened by her capacity to compare respondents to their neighbors, minorities, and Whites nationwide. The health, money, family, and safety issues that plague these older inner-city citizens, who have fought hard against numerous difficulties, are inconceivable for most middle-class Americans and go counter to popular perceptions of how middle age and retirement should progress. Although Newman makes it obvious that they would frequently battle in vain in the absence of state action, their stories do communicate a feeling of strength and resiliency.
The key takeaway from Newman’s book is that while several other factors influence how an African American or a Latino ages in inner-city neighborhoods, race does play a role in aging issues. The mosaic that makes life for these people busy includes jobs, money, and social capital. The contribution of Newman’s work has significantly increased the value of gerontology as a field of study. It illustrates the necessity for societal adjustment by using science to examine potential changes brought on by aging.
The field-based gerontologists who utilize this material might use it as a method to spark interest in the subject and as a qualitative direction for future study. The importance of Newman’s work is revolutionary because of the novel way of illuminating the harshness of situations for minorities, notwithstanding the possibility of some criticism of it. This emphasizes the necessity for a critical communication strategy while dealing with these groups.
This study gave me a new perspective on the opportunities of gerontology as a career path. I was able to reassess the value of gerontology. The impact of her study provided enough evidence for critical evaluation and actions from the government. This revealed to me the possibility of reinforcing local communities via a detailed analysis of personal experiences. Through detailed recommendations, she was able to attract the attention of the academic community to the need for the development of society. Thus, my goal became to uphold the similar value of helping those in need through research.
In addition, I was able to elevate my perception of research. Specifically, Newman’s research showed me that it is possible to indulge in more engaging descriptive research methods that provide in-depth articulation of social factors influencing the daily lives of people. The research had both academic and entertaining qualities, due to which the material was easier to comprehend. Therefore, I would like to argue that this work increased my writing ability and demonstrated new possibilities for conducting field research.
The study is restricted to the ERMUAS survey’s New York sample, its participant pool, and the author’s point of view. The study also places much emphasis on how the people who were interviewed interpret their own experiences, which raises the possibility that there may be bias present. The literature aspect of Newman’s work is heavily based on her previous works and addresses various approaches to multidimensional qualitative analysis. Although such research methods could be difficult to organize and properly interpret.
The study was conducted at a time when information technologies were still under development. The approach taken by the author was reliable since data was gathered in the field. However, this research is heavily taxing without proper funding, so I might have considered taking a different approach. For example, a meta-analysis of participants’ responses to the online survey distinguishes their aging experience as part of the minority group. This method is cheaper and less time-consuming in terms of data collection. Furthermore, it would be possible to encapsulate a much wider area for consideration and cross-comparison of the experiences of people.
Reference
Newman, K. S. (2006). A different shade of gray: Midlife and beyond in the inner city. New Press.