Middle-aged migrants: Expanding an understanding of lifecourses and linked lives

Abstract

This paper explores a new perspective on middle-aged migrant women. Midlife has long been presumed to be the most networked stage of life for sedentary populations, but it has not been examined critically in the context of migration. This is an empty space that warrants research attention, because middle-aged migrants often have lives that are temporally and spatially distinctive. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Latvia and the United Kingdom (2018–2023), I argue that the lifecourses of middle-aged migrant women resemble the transitions that young people go through for work but differ in terms of care. Although strong ties relatives and friends have long been thought to be key for transnational care relations, weak ties also become instrumental through shared notions of self-actualization in midlife. I provide a novel understanding of how the concepts of linked lives and networks can be applied to processes that are pertinent to middle-aged women.