Muslim older women in Canada are seen but not heard; Their perspectives are rarely the focus of aging research and their wellbeing is overlooked in policy and service provision.  Identifying as Muslim and practicing Islam in Western societies impact aging in significant ways. Discourses of identity politics, racism, and islamophobia embedded in Muslims’ everyday lives are notable deterrents to feelings of belonging and inclusion. It is unclear how current realities of marginalization influence the wellbeing of Muslim older women. Social connectedness relates to feelings of closeness, shared identities and common bonds, valuing relationships, and feeling socially involved, cared for and accepted. 

This community-based participatory research project in Edmonton, Alberta aimed to create safe and empowering spaces for Muslim older women to explore their experiences of social connectedness. We used a combination of photo-elicitation and narrative multi-series interviews with participants. An advisory committee of Muslim women informed all stages of the research project. A range of experiences across socio-economic positions, migration histories, and ethnocultural roots were sought and informed by an intersectionality lens. Preliminary findings point to the centrality of family in the lives of older Muslim women, the value of language, culture, and religion in fostering connectivity, and the increased role of technology in maintaining connections in older age. The outcomes of this project have health and social policy implications for Canada’s one million Muslims and other immigrant and racialized older adults.

Project Dates: 2020-2023

Funders: SSHRC Insight Grant