Puerto Rican Families in New York City: Intergenerational Processes

This study examined the lives of 100 intergenerationally linked Puerto Rican families living in New York City. Each family consisted of two generations: the mothers and fathers in the parent generation and their married child and spouse in the child generation. Subjects investigated included the experiences of the migrant parent generation in their island home, their migration and settlement in New York City, and the experiences of their children, raised in the United States. Also investigated was the impact of the two generations' different life experiences upon the transmission of sociocultural characteristics from parents to their children and upon the structure of the relationship between the parent and married child. Among the major findings were the following: (1) intergenerational differences between the parents and their married children were pervasive and strong; (2) the greatest intergenerational change occurred in socioeconomic status, then in the language used, then in values; (3) the least change occurred in the subjective elements describing self-concept and bicultural preferences; (4) age at arrival in New York City and level of education were important determinants of ethnic identity; (5) when parents and their children were socialized in the same culture, or when they were similar in educational level, intergenerational continuity increased; and (6) intergenerational differences in early socialization settings and in educational attainment had no effect upon the strength of intergenerational solidarity. (CMG)