Children of Global Migration : Transnational Families and Gendered Woes

In the Philippines, a dramatic increase in labor migration has created a large population of transnational migrant families. Thousands of children now grow up apart from one or both parents, as the parents are forced to work outside the country in order to send their children to school, give them access to quality health care, or, in some cases, just provide them with enough food. While the issue of transnational families has already generated much interest, this book is the first to offer a close look at the lives of the children in these families. Drawing on in-depth interviews with the family members left behind, the author examines two dimensions of the transnational family. First, she looks at the impact of distance on the intergenerational relationships, specifically from the children’s perspective. She then analyzes gender norms in these families, both their reifications and transgressions in transnational households. Acknowledging that geographical separation unavoidably strains family intimacy, Parreñas argues that the maintenance of traditional gender ideologies exacerbates and sometimes even creates the tensions that plague many Filipino migrant families. The Global Economy Of Care Work -- The Dismal View Of Transnational Households -- Caring For The Family : Why Parents Leave The Philippines -- The Gap Between Migrant Fathers And Their Children -- The Gender Paradox : Recreating The Family In Women's Migration -- Gendered Care Expectations : Children In Mother-away Transnational Families -- The Overlooked Second Generation : The Experience Of Prolonged Separation In Two Parent Migrant Families. Rhacel Salazar Parreñas. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 196-207) And Index. 10.1515_9781503624627-fm 1 10.1515_9781503624627-toc 7 10.1515_9781503624627-001 9 10.1515_9781503624627-002 13 10.1515_9781503624627-003 24 10.1515_9781503624627-004 42 10.1515_9781503624627-005 68 10.1515_9781503624627-006 79 10.1515_9781503624627-007 104 10.1515_9781503624627-008 132 10.1515_9781503624627-009 153 10.1515_9781503624627-010 173 10.1515_9781503624627-011 181 10.1515_9781503624627-012 208 10.1515_9781503624627-013 221 In the Philippines, an increase in labor migration has created transnational migrant families, where children grow up apart from one or both parents, forced to work outside the country. This book offers a look at the lives of the children in these families; the impact of distance on intergenerational relationships; and gender norms in the families ""With an ethnographer's ear and a social critic's lens, Rhacel Salazar Parreñas illuminates the care deficit of the immigrant second generation, the children of transnational Filipino families left behind by mothers and fathers who labor in the global economy.""--Eileen Boris, University of California, Santa Barbara