Trajectories and Turning Points: A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Role of Migration and Race for Unequal Ageing

We employ the life course perspective seeking to understand how migration and race shape people’s life outcomes as they age, and how disadvantages accumulate over time. Our work relies on insights from a large and multi-stage mixed methods project on experiences of social inclusion / exclusion across the life course among older people (50+) with migration backgrounds in two English urban settings (project ‘Ethnicity and Unequal Ageing’, UKRI, 2022-2025, https://www.ethnicityandunequalageing.ac.uk/). We integrate quantitative and qualitative data analysed in the project - a sequence data analysis of work-life statuses (British Household Panel Study & UK Household Longitudinal Study, 1991-2020) with life history interviews with four different racialised groups (Roma, Muslim, African and Irish, N=80) - to explore complexity of paths and turning points for life outcomes. In our data integration process we follow principles of the pillar integration process, so the way we merge results is data-driven and inductive. While statistical data allows us to identify different work-life trajectories for people with and without migration experience, life histories provide illustration on how racism-induced disadvantages accumulate over time as people age, and how in later life they are still affected by meaningful turning points which they experienced earlier. We also explore intersectional aspects between race and gender, socio-economic status and place as affecting life outcomes. Our study contributes to sociology of ageing by conceptualising racism as an important turning point in life course which shapes ageing inequalities in an asynchronous way.