They represent a unique generation who, since migrating to Britain have made a major contribution to Britain s economy working mostly in arduous low paid occupations in public service and manufacturing industries. Addressing the needs and perspectives of this generation is a task of the present. It has been suggested that ethnic minority older people face multiple hazard . The implication is that having an ethnic minority background in addition to being older adds extra dimensions of disadvantage. It is also possible that this will interact with both gender differences, given the marked ethnic differences in family structure and gender roles, and socioeconomic position.
Current evidence suggests that there is some truth to theories of multiple disadvantage.
Across the material and health dimensions of QoL some ethnic minority groups are considerably disadvantaged compared with older white people. For example, in terms of family contact South Asian people are more likely to live in households containing two generations of adults, and, compared with white people, older Caribbean and South Asian people are much more likely to be living with a child. It is also likely that the nature and relevance of particular dimensions of QoL will vary across ethnic groups. This means that understanding ethnic inequalities in QoL, both in terms of its extent and its causes, depends on an understanding of ethnic differences in what might be important to older people. The research will be concerned with improving our understanding of ethnic differences in the definitions and experience of QoL among older people, and the determinants of ethnic inequalities in QoL among older people.