Centre for Policy on Ageing



Life as gift — spiritual narratives of elderly African-American women living in poverty
Author(s)	Helen K Black
Journal title	Journal of Aging Studies, vol 13, no 4, 1999
Pages	pp 441-456
Keywords	Black African ; Older women ; Living alone ; Poverty ; Spiritual characteristics [elderly] ; Interviewing ; United States of America.
Annotation	The US research study, "Chronic poverty and the self in later life" studies the effects of long-term poverty on women aged over 70. 50 older African American women living in poverty were interviewed for the project. Using four representative case studies from the 50 respondents, this article explores how their spirituality informs their ability to cope with poverty. A key theme emerging from the women's narratives is that their relationship with God, perceived as personal, reciprocal, and empowering, allows them to take an active and positive stance in viewing and interpreting the circumstances of their life. Their spirituality imbues their hardship with meaning, engenders self-esteem, keeps despair at bay, and grants hope for rewards both in this life and the next. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-000120221 A
Classmark	TKF: BD: K8: W6: EX: 3DL: 7T
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.