The meanings of migration, remittances and gifts: views of Honduran women who stay

Abstract

In this article we examine the non‐economic, emotional meanings that men's economic migration has for the wives and mothers who stay in two rural communities in Honduras. Combining the literature on economic sociology and on the social meanings of relations within transnational families, we identify three areas that allow us to capture what the men's migration means for the women who stay – communication between the non‐migrant women and migrant men, stress and anxiety in women's personal lives, and added household responsibilities. Through interviews with 18 non‐migrant mothers and wives and qualitative fieldwork in Honduras, we find that women's interpretations of men's migration are not simple, black‐and‐white assessments. Instead, these are multifaceted and shaped by the social milieu in which the women live. Whereas the remittances and gifts that the men send improve the lives of the women and their families, these transfers also convey assurances that the men have not forgotten them and they become expressions of love.

Leveraging symbolic capital: the use of blat networks across transnational spaces

“…In their study of Somalis in Leicester, Ram et al (2008) found that the social capital that these Somalis utilized in their business operations was a two-way resource, on the one hand to provide critical forms of economic capital to assist in the start-up of business ventures in the UK, while at the same time providing substantial amounts of money to Somali family and friends back 'home'. An outcome of recognizing the continuing importance of the 'home country' in the lives of many migrant entrepreneurs has been a growing academic focus on migrants' transnational economic practices (McKenzie and Menjívar 2011;Walther 2012;Wilding 2006). It is to this literature that we now turn.…”

Migrasi Berulang Tenaga Kerja Migran Internasional: Kasus Pekerja Migran Asal Desa Sukorejo Wetan, Kabupaten Tulungagung

“…Studi mengenai penggunaan remitansi oleh para migran dan keluarganya telah dilakukan di berbagai negara (Arifuzzaman, Al Mamun, Chowdhury, & Dewri, 2015;McKenzie & Menjivar, 2011;Dustmann & Mestres, 2008;Abazi & Mema, 2007;Romdiati, Noveria, & Bandiyono, 2002;Raharto dkk., 2013). Secara umum terdapat kesamaan dalam hasil studi tersebut, yaitu remitansi dimanfaatkan untuk mendukung kehidupan keluarga yang ditinggalkan di daerah asal.…”

“…Ini dilakukan dengan pertimbangan bahwa sangat kecil kemungkinan remitansi digunakan hanya untuk satu keperluan. Artinya, uang yang diterima dari anggota (McKenzie & Menjivar, 2011). Studi di tiga provinsi lain di Indonesia, yaitu Jawa Barat, Kalimantan Timur, dan Riau juga memperlihatkan hal yang sama.…”

“…Salah seorang perempuan yang ditinggalkan suaminya untuk bekerja di luar negeri mengatakan bahwa alasan utama suaminya bermigrasi adalah untuk memperbaiki rumah, termasuk membangun dapur baru dan ruangan untuk anak-anak (McKenzie & Menjivar, 2011). Hal ini sejalan dengan kutipan wawancara dengan Bapak AM di atas, bahwa hanya dengan bekerja di luar negeri mereka bisa memiliki rumah dengan kondisi yang lebih baik.…”

Traversing the United States-Mexico Border: Gender and Kinship in Migrant Families

“…Although a mother and father may feed their family with basic staples, they may be unable to purchase or produce certain quality foodstuffs, send their children to school, or pay for medical care. Scholars frequently agree that paying for food, education, and housing index migrant success (Boehm 2008, Gamburd 2008, McKenzie and Menjívar 2011, Pribilsky 2004. Desire for material wealth informs decisions to migrate.…”