Navigating transnational childcare relationships: migrant parents and their children's caregivers in the origin country

Abstract

In this article, we investigate the daily work entailed in maintaining informal transnational childcare relationships between migrant parents and the children's kin or non‐kin caregivers in the country of origin. By applying the concept of ‘kin work’, we seek to understand how work is performed within transnational care relationships. Using a simultaneous matched sample methodology that gives equal weight to data on both sides of the transnational relationship, a team of researchers collected ethnographic data from Ghanaian migrant parents in the Netherlands and from their children's caregivers in Ghana. This approach allowed us to investigate the day‐to‐day care work from two perspectives – namely the visible and the invisible actions of the people involved in creating the kinship relationships of care work. Discrepancies in perceptions were uncovered because we compared data obtained on both sides of the relationship. These findings contribute to our understanding of the ways in which long‐distance practices facilitate the maintenance of kin relationships and how the inability to perform these can lead to tensions.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Well‐Being of Ghanaian Children in Transnational Families

“…The African context may differ because of the prevalent norms around family life characterized by social parenthood and child fostering, making it common for children to change residency and be raised by people other than their biological parents, irrespective of parental migration status (Radcliffe-Brown & Forde, 1950). This may contribute to the fact that Ghanaian children do not necessarily feel underprivileged if they do not live with their parents (Poeze et al, 2017) as has been found in other contexts (Cortes, 2015;Parreñas, 2005). Finally, an important distinguishing factor is that few studies on migration and child well-being ask children to evaluate their well-being and instead rely on the assessments of adults such as parents, other caregivers, or teachers.…”

“…The availability of kin to provide care to children is seen as an enabling factor allowing African parents to migrate alone for work (Madhavan et al, 2012). Conversely, when migrant parents have difficulties finding a suitable caregiver in the local network of people, then tensions may arise within the transnational family (Poeze, Dankyi, & Mazzucato, 2017). The quality of care provided by the caregiver is also of relevance and is expected to be higher when the caregiver is one of the parents of the child or a close family kin member (Schmalzbauer, 2004).…”

“…The education landscape in Ghana features high-quality boarding schools and parents at times prefer this option for raising their children (Bledsoe & Sow, 2011). Finally, Ghanaian caregivers were found to build harmonious relationships with children in their foster care and treat them as "their own" (Poeze et al, 2017).…”

Resilience among Nigerian transnational parents in the Netherlands: a strength‐based approach to migration and transnational parenting

“…The risks to children include poor or decreased educational attainment, deviant or anti-social behaviour, a 'happiness deficit' and emotional problems. Other people in the 'care triangle' are also vulnerable because of the strain on resources and emotional challenges (Graham et al 2012;Poeze et al 2016).…”

Sent home: mapping the absent child into migration through polymedia

“…More recent studies on the impacts of ICTs on these relationships have extended this theme, but they have found that the technologies create redemptive effects, enabling both intensified intimacies and surveillance practices. This article complements work on the quality of intimacy within longdistance parenting relationships and relationships between migrant parents and the children's caregivers (Poeze et al 2016) through exploring the more public aspects of SNS. Social media make parenting relationships with sent-home and left-behind children public, and SNS thus become part of the assemblage through which migration and childhoods are governed.…”