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ABSTRACT
Research of friendship in older people's lives has recently extended to examine the impact of social structural factors. This study compared the friendship support networks of a small sample of older African and White American women for influences of ethnicity. The comparison used a matched-pair sample which controlled for age, marital status, residence type, and disability. Examination of data from the women's diagrams and descriptions of current informal support networks and friendship life histories indicates ethnic differences in four related areas of friendship network organization: size, composition, recruitment strategies, and opportunities for support exchanges. Implications for research and practice are considered.