Caught between breadwinning and emotional provisions - the case of Polish migrant fathers in Norway

Abstract

This article discusses heterogeneity of family and parental practices among Polish migrant fathers in Norway. The paper begins with a recollection of the contemporary approaches to masculinities, and addresses the emergence of "new fatherhood" in both family scholarship and migration studies. In the conclusion to the theoretical section, we reflect on transnational parenting in the context of male mobility. The empirical basis for the study stems from a combination of biographic and narrative interviews with members of Polish migrant families in Norway: ten Polish couples and two interviews conducted with fathers alone (the interviews were reviewed for this article from the broader research dedicated to the Polish families in Norway). In the analysis, we draw on the significance of the institutional support and social expectations for creating new patterns of being a father, yet we also underline the salient importance of individual, biographical elements that certainly influence the every-day practices of Polish migrant fathers. We put forward a general conclusion that there is not a singular fathering or fatherhood type among the Polish men in Norway, but rather a continuum of various family arrangements, often propelled by men, is observed. It is therefore crucial to look at the biographies which suggest social change and a shift towards a "new fatherhood".

Family obligations across European borders: negotiating migration decisions within the families of post-accession migrants in Sweden

“…In a quest for autonomy, these families were prepared to endure this separation if migration could potentially lead to a more-independent family life. However, Olivia's story confirms the observations of other researchers in post-accession migration (McGhee et al, 2013;Pustulka et al, 2015;Shmulyar Green and Melander 2016) that it was notoriously difficult for the newly arrived migrants to get their own housing and be able to pay for it, which created an important impediment for families to reunite and to start the independent life that they dreamed of.…”

“…Seen from this angle, we seek to shed light on the manifestations of the multiple familiar responsibilities related to care between parents and their younger children in the context of parental labor migration. Theoretically, we draw on the insights from the feminist conceptual framework of family obligations, care and responsibility for others (Finch, 1987(Finch, , 1989Mason, 1996), and care and moralities in transnational families in particular (Carling, 2008) in combination with the notion of gendered practices of transnational parenting (Pustulka et al, 2015;Souralová and Fialová, 2017) to address a new empirical context for the contemporary intra-European migration from the new European Union (EU) member states to the Nordic countries, and to Sweden in particular. We focus on mobile workers and their families from two EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), i.e., Poland and Romania, which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, respectively.…”

Remote fatherhood and visiting husbands: seasonal migration and men’s position within families

“…Further studies considered male obligations in transnational families and negotiations of gender order (see e.g. Barglowski, Krzyżowski, & Świątek, 2015;Kilkey, Plomien, & Perrons, 2014;Pustułka, Struzik, & Ślusarczyk, 2015).…”

“…The temporal aspect of seasonal migration applies also hereprolonging and repeating absences are inevitably accompanied by other processes within families, namely growing up of the interviewees' children. Growing awareness and pressure on active and engaged fatherhood, which modernize the hegemonic masculine ideal put male migrants under strain (Pustułka et al, 2015). While providing economically, emotional provisions require more effort.…”

Projektowanie dziecka w społeczeństwie norweskim. Matki z Polski wobec instytucji przedszkola

“…Prowadzenie wywiadów tylko z kobietami było podyktowane tematem projektu, dotyczącego migracji kobiet a nie założeniem, że istotne są doświadczenia tylko matek (por. Pustułka, Struzik, Ślusarczyk 2015). Ponadto miałyśmy możliwość odwiedzenia kilku przedszkoli, położonych w różnych dzielnicach Oslo i realizujących różne programy: typowe norweskie przedszkole w dzielnicy Mortenstrud, przedszkole stosujące pedagogikę Steinerowską w centrum, prywatne przedszkole w małym miasteczku pod Oslo, cieszące się sławą wielokulturowego, małe państwowe przedszkole we wsi oddalonej od stolicy około 40 km.…”