Mid- and Later Life Cross-Sex Friendships in Minority Ethnic Contexts

Insights From Scotland

Bibliographic Data

ID2392287
AuthorsShruti Chaudhry (0000-0001-5800-7406, The University of Edinburgh, UK, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume27
Issue4
Pages947-963
Publication date2022-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Research Online (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1360-7804 • E-ISSN: 1360-7804
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13607804221123334
OpenAlexW4308732148
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited29

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

Ethnic group · Human sexuality · Life course approach · Negotiation · Normative · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access