The Impact of Remittances Versus Parental Absence on Children’s Wellbeing: Evidence from Rural Punjab

Abstract

This study examines the impact of migration on children left behind in terms of schooling and child labor by quantifying two aspects of migration: remittances and parental absence, in cases where the father is the migrant. The study is based on a panel analysis of data drawn from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for 2007 and the Privatization in Education Research Initiative survey for 2011. The sample comprises 820 households with children aged 5–14 years. The study uses the instrumental variable (IV) approach due to endogeneity. Exogenous variation in parental absence and remittances sent by migrants from a given kinship network are employed as IVs. This, combined with household fixed effects and random effects, increases the reliability of the results. While remittances benefit the children, father’s absence has adverse consequences for them. However, mother’s presence in the house appears to compensate for the father’s absence, making the migration beneficial on net for the child. The father’s absence has worse consequences for girls in terms of increased child labor, where the money coming in through remittances has a larger impact on boys’ schooling.

Fathers’ Migration and Academic Achievement among Left-behind Children in India: Evidence of Continuity and Change in Gender Preferences

“…However, we find some evidence that fathers' migration can modify long-held practices by showing the positive influence of fathers' migration on girls' educational expenditure and reading achievement. The benefits of remittances can largely bypass girls in the region (Vogel and Korinek 2012;Jamil 2017), but this article provides evidence that girls can also benefit from their fathers' migration. Hence, its theoretical contribution is to not only highlight the role of normative preferences in shaping remittance utilization but also to underscore how remittances can serve as a developmental tool by altering these preferences.…”

“…Yabiku and Agadjanian (2017) discover that in rural Mozambique, sons of migrant fathers are more likely to continue their schooling than sons of non-migrant fathers; however, there are no differences in school continuation rates among daughters of migrant and non-migrant fathers. Similarly, Jamil (2017) finds that paternal migration is positively associated with increased school enrollment for boys in Pakistan. In Nepal, Vogel, and Korinek (2012) show that remittances are disproportionately directed toward boys’ educational expenses.…”

“…In Nepal, Vogel and Korinek (2012) discover that remittances are spent on children’s education, but primarily on boys, although in higher-income households, girls also benefit from higher schooling expenditure. Jamil (2017) finds that fathers’ migration increases the probability of girls working at home in rural Pakistan, whereas for boys, it increases the likelihood of being enrolled in school.…”

“…Being away from parents can lead to behavioral and emotional issues that negatively impact children’s ability to learn and perform well scholastically (Hugo and Ukwatta 2010; Su et al 2013; Liang, Wang, and Rui 2016). Moreover, the environment in such homes may not be conducive for studying if children must take on additional household responsibilities that take time and energy away from school-related activities (Kuhn 2006; Antman 2011; Meyerhoefer and Chen 2011; Intemann and Katz 2014; Jamil 2017).…”

“…The bulk of the literature on left-behind children’s well-being in Asia comes from China, given its quantum of migration (e.g., Meyerhoefer and Chen 2011; Meng and Yamauchi 2017). Other Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, also contribute to this literature (e.g., Jampaklay 2006; Arguillas and Williams 2010; Nguyen 2016), but studies from South Asia, especially India, remain scarce (e.g., Vogel and Korinek 2012; Jamil 2017). Roy, Singh, and Roy (2015) examine parental migration’s impact on schooling in the Indian city of Varanasi and nine villages in Bihar, using qualitative methods.…”