Caring Across Generations (PDF)

More than 1.3 million Korean Americans livein the United States, the majority of them foreign-born immigrants and theirchildren, the so-called 1.5 and second generations. While many sons anddaughters of Korean immigrants outwardly conform to the stereotyped image ofthe upwardly mobile, highly educated super-achiever, the realities andchallenges that the children of Korean immigrants face in their adult lives astheir immigrant parents grow older and confronthealth issues that are far more complex. In CaringAcross Generations, Grace J. Yoo and Barbara W. Kim explore how earlierexperiences helping immigrant parents navigate American society have prepared KoreanAmerican children for negotiating and redefining the traditional gender norms,close familial relationships, and cultural practices that their parents expectthem to adhere to as they reach adulthood. Drawing on in-depth interviews with137 second and 1.5 generation Korean Americans, Yoo & Kim explore issuessuch as their childhood experiences, their interpreted cultural traditions andvalues in regards to care and respect for the elderly, their attitudes andvalues regarding care for aging parents, their observations of parents facingretirement and life changes, and their experiences with providing care whenparents face illness or the prospects of dying. A unique study at theintersection of immigration and aging, CaringAcross Generations provides a new look at the linked lives of immigrantsand their families, and the struggles and triumphs that they face over manygenerations.