Old-age disability and wealth among return Mexican migrants from the United States

To examine the old-age consequences of international migration with a focus on disability and wealth from the perspective of the origin country.

Analysis sample includes persons aged 60+ from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, a national survey of older adults in Mexico in 2001. Univariate methods are used to present a comparative profile of return migrants. Multivariate models are estimated for physical disability and wealth.

Gender differences are profound. Return migrant women are more likely to be disabled while men are wealthier than comparable older adults in Mexico.

Compared to current older adults, younger cohorts of Mexico-U.S. migrants increasingly include women, and more migrants seem likely to remain in the United States rather than return, thus more research will be needed on the old-age conditions of migrants of both countries.