Aging experiences of older immigrant women in Québec (Canada): From deskilling to liberation.

This article examines experiences of aging of older immigrant women. The data are based on qualitative research that was conducted in Québec, Canada with 83 elderly women from different ethnocultural backgrounds (Arab, African, Haitian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Romanian, etc.). The results on how such immigrant women deal with material conditions of existence such as deskilling, aging alone, being more economically independent, and the combined effects of liberation from social and family norms associated with age and gender in the light of the migration route, will be presented. For the majority, migration opened up possibilities for personal development and self-affirmation. The findings demonstrated the relevance of the intersectional approach in understanding the complexity and social conditionings of women's experiences of aging.

Blood donation within the family: the transmission of values and practices.

BACKGROUND: This article presents the results of our study, which aimed to examine the role of family in the transmission of practices and values associated with blood donation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty-two qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in the province of Quebec, Canada. They were categorized into three distinct dyads (one parent and one child interviewed per dyad): 1) parent donor/child donor (10 dyads); 2) parent nondonor/child donor (8 dyads); and 3) parent donor/child nondonor (8 dyads). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Our results point to two kinds of families: in the first type, blood donation has been an integral "part of life" for generations and we can observe a process of transmission--a set of practices that encompasses imitation or modeling. In the second type of family, the act of donating blood was perceived and defined as an individual one, in the sense of personal, and sometimes even as a private gesture: a majority of young donors started giving at their colleges' blood drives without discussing it with their families.

Initiate, bequeath, and remember: older women's transmission role within the family.

In social sciences, little attention has been paid to the role and functions of grandmothers in the family, and still less, to their role as legators and transmitters of values. Do older women have the impression they are transmitting or have transmitted something to succeeding generations? If so, what do they believe they are transmitting or have transmitted to their children and grandchildren? What legacies do they think it is important to leave for the next generation? How do they want to be remembered? These are the questions the authors answer in this article, based on a qualitative research of 25 in-depth interviews conducted with three generations of older women (65-74, 75-84, and 85 and older) from Quebec.

[Meaning and practice of grandmotherhood: a theoretical study based on older women in Quebec]. / Sens et pratiques de la grand-maternité : une étude par théorisation ancrée auprès de femmes aînées québécoises.

This article sets out to analyze how older women understand grandmotherhood. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 elderly women from Quebec with diverse lives (widowed, married, single, with or without children) drawn from three generations (65-74 years, 75-84 years, 85 years and over) according to principles of qualitative analysis using grounded theory. Based on a constructivist approach, results highlight the evolution of images of grandmotherhood offering the benefit of emotional, playful and comforting roles. This analysis also reveals multiple ways of being a grandmother and commitments that vary according to three principal factors: (1) the personality and life trajectory of the grandmothers; (2) the family situation and role of crisis in the family; and (3) the degree of intimacy with grandchildren. There follows a discussion on the place and role of the family in the lives of older women today.

Activism among older women in Quebec, Canada: changing the world after age 65.

The aim of this article is to examine senior women's involvement experience in Quebec, Canada. Study results are based on a qualitative methodology, and shed light on family history and continuity in the involvement trajectory, diversity in terms of group type and involvement practices, and gender differences in involvement. The meaning that older women attribute to their involvement is also addressed, including attitudes toward feminism. The discussion highlights the extent to which older women's involvement has been marked by their life trajectories, above and beyond their age. In sum, their involvement in the private and public spheres is quite impressive.