International Migration and Familial Change in Communities of Origin: Transformation and Resistance

Abstract

This article reviews recent anthropological and sociological findings and discussions surrounding the possible impacts of international migration on family dynamics in the home—both for rural and indigenous people—in Mexico. Because one of the major changes has to do with the escalation of female migration, as well as the circumstances facing those women who stay behind, this article emphasizes the position of women in the realm of international migration from a gendered perspective.

Gendered Migrations and Global Social Reproduction

“…They may be used for general household expenses, such as food, clothing and household maintenance, to provide or improve children's education, access health services, support the carers looking after the children and other family members of those who have migrated, and construct new or improve existing housing. In some instances, remittances, together with poverty-reduction measures such as conditional cash transfer payments, have maintained households following declining agricultural returns (Arias 2013). In poorer households, remittances may be the principal source of income.…”

“…In the Philippines, with a relatively well-educated population, over two-thirds of households utilised remittances for educational purposes (BSP 2014a). In Mexico, however, with a less educated and migratory rural population, it is not clear what effect remittances have had on educational levels (Arias 2013). Boys may also be eager to leave school to migrate and earn money.…”

“…For example, remittances in Mexico which mainly emanate from the USA, have been falling due to the contraction of the construction industry, stricter border controls, higher costs for being smuggled across them, and high levels of deportation, especially of men (Arias 2013). On the other hand, with a much more diversified and steadily increasing level of emigration, especially to the Middle East and Gulf countries, the Philippines are receiving higher levels of remittances (BSP 2014b).…”

Family Members’ Transnational Migration, Community Contexts, and Psychological Distress in Mexican Families

“…One source of this stress is increased responsibility and labor demands for women (Boehm, 2008;Radel & Schmook, 2009), but Nobles et al (2014) found that stress is associated mainly with absence of spouses rather than influenced indirectly by decreased household resources or increased caregiving burdens. A wife may experience additional stress due to loss of autonomy when her husband's absence requires that she move in with in-laws (Arias, 2013;Martone et al, 2011;Nobles et al, 2014). Tensions due to power struggles over money access and control may arise if husbands remit to mothers instead of wives (Martone et al, 2011).…”

“…Men and women who send children to the U.S. may experience psychological distress (Silver, 2014), but both genders tend to report better levels of living and fewer concerns for the future (González-Vázquez, Salgado de Snyder, & Kageyama Escobar, 2011, as cited in Arias, 2013). Finally, siblings of migrants, specifically women, experience psychological distress (Silver, 2014).…”