Sharon M. Lee

Trends in Asian American racial/ethnic intermarriage: a comparison of 1980 and 1990 census data.

In this paper, we use data from the 1990 census to compare patterns of Asian American intermarriage with those reported by Lee and Yamanaka (1990). Lee and Yamanaka (1990) used data from the 1980 census to examine patterns of Asian American racial and ethnic intermarriage. They reported that one- quarter of married Asian Americans were outmarried; of these, 90% were married to non-Asians. Variations by gender and nativity were also observed. Women and the native-born were more likely to be outmarried. We expect to see a decline in Asian American intermarriage since 1980 because of high levels of immigration, growth of the Asian population, and increased social distance between Asian Americans and Whites. Our main findings show that: (i) the overall outmarriage rate has declined; (ii) Asian American inter-ethnic marriages (that is, marriages between two Asian Americans of different Asian ethnicities) have increased; and (iii) social distance, measured by an Index of Intermarriage Distance, between Asian Americans and other racial and ethnic groups has widened. We conclude by discussing some implications of the findings for the role of racial and ethnic intermarriage as an indicator of intergroup relations.

CERVICAL CANCER BELIEFS AND PAP TEST SCREENING PRACTICES AMONG CHINESE AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To examine beliefs and Pap test utilization among Chinese American women, the largest Asian female population in the United States. RESEARCH APPROACH Cross-sectional descriptive, correlational study. SETTING Metropolitan areas of Portland, OR. PARTICIPANTS 100 foreign-born Chinese women aged 40 years and older. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH Three questionnaires were modified, translated, combined, and pretested. Participants completed the self-administered questionnaire in a group setting. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Utilization of Pap test screening, health beliefs, and cultural and sociodemographic variables. FINDINGS Sixty-eight percent reported having a Pap test within the prior three years (adherence), and 84% reported ever having a Pap test. The odds of Pap test use and adherence decreased with increasing age. Women with insurance or a regular healthcare provider had better odds of Pap test use and adherence. Older age, older age when a participant moved to the United States, and increased modesty were negatively associated with ever having had a Pap test. CONCLUSIONS Age and cultural beliefs influence Pap test use and adherence. The strength of provider recommendation and healthcare access as predictors suggest areas for interventions designed to increase screening for cervical cancer. INTERPRETATION Nurses play a vital role in preventive health care, especially with the growing number of advanced practice nurses delivering primary care. Primary healthcare providers should be reminded of their influential role in increasing adherence to cancer screening. Further health policy action is necessary to extend screening coverage to those who do not have adequate health insurance.

Do Asian American Faculty Face a Glass Ceiling in Higher Education

The term glass ceiling refers to artificial barriers to achievement. Previous research on the subject suggests that, as racial minorities, Asian American faculty in higher education would encounter a glass ceiling. In this article, the glass ceiling hypothesis is evaluated on the basis of data from the 1993 National Study of Post-Secondary Faculty (NSOPF-93). The sample consists of full-time instructional faculty and includes 1,019 Asian Americans and a comparison group of 14,381 non-Hispanic Whites. Faculty salary is the dependent variable. Six models of an earnings function are estimated. Controls are included for the following kinds of differences: demographic, life cycle, human capital, productivity, field of specialization, institutional, and regional. Contrary to expectations, no consistent evidence for a glass ceiling emerged. However, additional evaluation of the effects of independent variables produces a more complex picture. Asian Americans do not derive comparable benefits from several characteristics associated with higher salaries for Whites and appear to have more limited pathways to higher salaries. Data limitations caution against concluding that Asian American faculty either face or do not face a glass ceiling. However, given the lack of research on Asian Americans in academe, this article provides new and important baseline findings to guide future research on the glass ceiling in higher education.

Measuring Breast Cancer and Mammography Screening Beliefs Among Chinese American Immigrants

Disparities in breast cancer outcomes persist among Asian American women. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Chinese American women. This article describes the psychometric evaluation of an instrument measuring knowledge and beliefs related to breast cancer and screening among Chinese American women aged 40 or older. A sample of 100 foreign-born Chinese American women were recruited from an Asian community. Guided by the health belief model, a questionnaire was adapted from three existing questionnaires. Principal axis factoring analyses yielded a three-factor solution that accounted for 53% of the variance in the breast cancer items and a four-factor solution that accounted for 69% of the variance in the cultural items (Cronbachs alphas = .71—.89). Whereas these findings contribute to the understanding of the psychometric properties of an instrument targeted for Chinese American women, additional research is needed to evaluate its utility and efficacy for other Asian Americans.

Age-at-Arrival's Effects on Asian Immigrants' Socioeconomic Outcomes in Canada and the U.S.

Age-at-arrival is a key predictor of many immigrant outcomes, but discussion continues over how to best measure and study its effects. This research replicates and extends a pioneering study by Myers, Gao, and Emeka [International Migration Review (2009) 43:205–229] on age-at-arrival effects among Mexican immigrants in the U.S. to see if similar results hold for other immigrant groups and in other countries. We examine data from the 2000 U.S. census and 2006 American Community Survey, and 1991, 2001, and 2006 Canadian censuses to assess several measures of age-at-arrival effects on Asian immigrants’ socioeconomic outcomes. We confirm several of Myers et al.s key findings, including the absence of clear breakpoints in age-at-arrival effects for all outcomes and the superiority of continuous measures of age-at-arrival. Additional analysis reveals different age-at-arrival effects by gender and Asian ethnicity. We suggest guidelines, supplementing those offered by Myers et al., for measuring and studying age-at-arrivals effects on immigrant outcomes.

Canadian as National Ethnic Origin: Trends and Implications

This paper examines the emergence of “Canadian” as a national ethnic origin by conducting: (i) a trend analysis on identifying as “Canadian” using microdata from the 1991, 1996, and 2001 Censuses of Canada; and (ii) descriptive and multivariate analyses to examine characteristics associated with identifying as “Canadian.” The trend analysis reveals large and statistically significant increases in identification as “Canadian.” Several factors, including birth in Canada, French language background, Quebec residence, lower education, younger age, and non-metropolitan residence are associated with identifying as “Canadian.” Estimating logistic regression models for three language groups—Anglophones, Francophones, and English and French bilinguals—for each census show similar (e.g., education, age) and different (e.g., religion, province) effects of explanatory variables for language groups and over time, and also confirm the important role of a French language background. By 2001, for example, Francophones were more than three times as likely as Anglophones to identify as “Canadian.” We discuss possible explanations for the findings, including “Canadian” ethnic identification as a reaction to increased immigration and different meanings of “Canadian” ethnicity for Anglophones and Francophones; several areas for future research; and implications of new national ethnic identities such as “Canadian” for studying ethnicity. Cet article porte sur l’émergence du terme « canadien » au sens d’origine ethnique nationale en menant : 1) une analyse de la tendance à s’identifier comme « canadien » à partir des micro-données fournies par les recensements du Canada de 1992, 1996 et 2001 et 2) des analyses descriptives à plusieurs variables pour étudier les caractéristiques de cette appartenance. L’analyse de la tendance révèle une augmentation importante et statistiquement significative du fait de s’identifier comme « canadien ». Plusieurs facteurs, dont le fait d’être né au Canada, de résider au Québec, de ne pas habiter dans une métropole, et un contexte de langue française, une éducation moins avancée ou un âge plus jeune sont liés à une « canadianité » identitaire. L’estimation des modèles de régression logistique pour les trois groupes linguistiques – Anglophones, Francophones et Bilingues anglais-français – montre que les effets des variables explicatives pour les groupes de langue sont semblables (comme dans le cas de l’éducation et de l’âge) ou différents (comme dans le cas de la religion et de la province) et qu’ils évoluent d’un recensement à l’autre. Elle confirme, par ailleurs, le rôle important du contexte français. En 2001, par exemple, il est trois fois plus probable que les Francophones s’identifieront comme « canadiens » que les Anglophones. Nous examinons les explications possibles de ces résultats, y inclus une ethnicité identitaire « canadienne » en réaction à une immigration en hausse et les différences de sens d’une « canadianité » ethnique chez les Anglophones et chez les Francophones, ainsi que plusieurs champs pour la recherche à venir et les implications de nouvelles identité ethniques nationales, comme la « canadienne », pour les études sur l’ethnicité.

The Encyclopedia of Migration and Minorities in Europe: From the 17th Century to the Present

The encyclopaedia: idea - concept - realization Klaus J. Bade, Pieter C. Emmer, Leo Lucassen and Jochen Oltmer 1. Terminologies and concepts of migration research Dirk Hoerder, Jan Lucassen and Leo Lucassen 2. Countries 3. Groups Appendices.

Fertility Intentions in Canada:Change or No Change?

This paper describes trends in fertility intentions in Canada based on an analysis of data from four national household surveys -- General Social Surveys in 1990, 1995, 2001, and 2006. The study finds that the fertility intentions of Canadian women have been relatively stable for the past 16 years, moving within a narrow range of 2.11 to 2.29 children. Modest decreases due to changes in population composition – and not changes in the relationship between various explanatory variables and intended fertility – have largely been responsible for the modest overall decrease of 0.08 children in intended fertility between 1990 and 2006.

Residential Mobility of Elderly Canadians: Trends and Determinants

Une bonne compréhension des tendances et des déterminants de la mobilité résidentielle des Canadiens âgés est essentiel pour les politiques publiques et la planification. Étude des patrons, change au fil du temps, et les déterminants de la mobilité des Canadiens âgés sont devenus de plus en plus important que la population vieillit. La mobilité résidentielle des personnes âgées a diminué considérablement depuis 1971, et près de la moitié de cette baisse est due à des changements dans la composition de la population. Parce que l’analyse multivariée de ce document ne tient pas compte de la plupart des tendances à la baisse de la mobilité résidentielle, toutefois, d’autres travaux sont nécessaires sur les explications spéculatives abordés dans cet article.An understanding of trends and determinants for the residential mobility of elderly Canadians is essential for public policy and planning. Study of the patterns, changes over time, and determinants of the mobility of older Canadians has become increasingly important as the population ages. Elderly residential mobility has decreased substantially since 1971, and almost one-half of this decrease is due to changes in population composition. Because the multivariate analysis described here does not account for most of the downward trends in residential mobility, however, further work is needed on speculative explanations discussed in this article.

Are visible minorities “invisible” in Canadian health data and research? A scoping review

Purpose Canada’s visible minority population is increasing rapidly, yet despite the demographic significance of this population, there is a surprising dearth of nationally representative health data on visible minorities. This is a major challenge to undertaking research on the health of this group, particularly in the context of investigating racial/ethnic disparities and health disadvantages that are rooted in racialization. The purpose of this paper is to summarize: mortality and morbidity patterns for visible minorities; determinants of visible minority health; health status and determinants of the health of visible minority older adults (VMOA); and promising data sources that may be used to examine visible minority health in future research. Design/methodology/approach A scoping review of 99 studies or publications published between 1978 and 2014 (abstracts of 72 and full articles of 27) was conducted to summarize data and research findings on visible minority health to answer four specific questions: what is known about the morbidity and mortality patterns of visible minorities relative to white Canadians? What is known about the determinants of visible minority health? What is known about the health status of VMOA, a growing segment of Canada’s aging population, and how does this compare with white older adults? And finally, what data sources have been used to study visible minority health? Findings There is indeed a major gap in health data and research on visible minorities in Canada. Further, many studies failed to distinguish between immigrants and Canadian-born visible minorities, thus conflating effects of racial status with those of immigrant status on health. The VMOA population is even more invisible in health data and research. The most promising data set appears to be the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Originality/value This paper makes an important contribution by providing a comprehensive overview of the nature, extent, and range of data and research available on the health of visible minorities in Canada. The authors make two key recommendations: first, over-sampling visible minorities in standard health surveys such as the CCHS, or conducting targeted health surveys of visible minorities. Surveys should collect information on key socio-demographic characteristics such as nativity, ethnic origin, socioeconomic status, and age-at-arrival for immigrants. Second, researchers should consider an intersectionality approach that takes into account the multiple factors that may affect a visible minority person’s health, including the role of discrimination based on racial status, immigrant characteristics for foreign-born visible minorities, age and the role of ageism for older adults, socioeconomic status, gender (for visible minority women), and geographic place or residence in their analyses.