Role models and health of Serbian Roma women

Abstract

We examine role model choice among Serbian Roma women and describe the relationships found among preferred role model type and socio-economic and health variables. Data were collected in 2015-2016 from 274 Roma women, averaging 55 years of age. Most often, Roma women chose female family members as role models, but some women also chose role models outside their ethic group. We discuss how the values of the two disparate role model choices, i.e., kin and non-kin, each with associated differences in underlying behavior, may be a critical component of influence on the Roma girls’ outcomes. Role models can have an effect on health, and in the case of Roma women, this effect is found in differential level of stress.

Keywords

• Serbian Roma women
• role models
• stress
• health
• popular culture
• traditions