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Childhood and Parenting in Transnational Settings
Abstract
This book describes children and youth on the one hand and parents on the other within the newly configured worlds of transnational families. Focus is put on children born abroad, brought up abroad, studying abroad, in vulnerable situations, and/or subject of trafficking. The book also provides insight into the delicate relationships that arise with parents, such as migrant parents who are parenting from a distance, elderly parents supporting migrant adult children, fathers left behind by migration, and Eastern-European parents in Nordic countries. It also touches upon life strategies developed in response to migration situations, such as the transfer of care, transnational (virtual) communication, common visits (to and from), and the co-presence of family members in each other’s (distant) lives. As such this book provides a wealth of information for researchers, policy makers and all those working in the field of migration and with migrants.
... Transnational parenthood is a consequence of this mobility and comes with a set of unique challenges and characteristics, as the boundaries of family are redrawn. Debates around the challenges of children left behind accompanied the phenomenon (Botezat, Pfeiffer, 2020;Ducu, 2018;Ducu, Nedelcu, Telegdi-Csetri, 2018;Tomşa, Jenaro, 2015). Romanian families witnessed a great shift in the set up and living conditions, as observed also by the state's devised role in addressing the situation of children whose parents have left to work and live in the EU. ...
Uncertainty and risk became key concepts in social sciences in the past half century (Douglas, 1986; Lupton, 2013; Stalker, 2003). The post-modern world was labeled as a risk society (Beck, 1992), since constant reassessment of the situations in which one finds oneself, increases one's knowledge, but decreases certainty (Voicu, 2005). A world of liquid migration (Engbersen, 2018) overlaps with this uncertain society, and things become even more complicated when transnational parenthood (Ducu, 2018; Mazzucato, Dito, 2018; Suárez-Orozco, Suárez-Orozco, 2013) is involved. We focus on challenges faced by Romanian transnational parents and document their situation using a set of ten in-depth interviews carried out in 2020-2021 in the UK and Germany with Romanian immigrants. We argue that the complicated situation of transnational parents is the byproduct of taking risky decisions in a risky world, and in a risky era, marked by global stressors, such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk is seen through the lenses of uncertainty, and as a factor of interest for social workers (Carling, Menjívar, Schmalzbauer, 2012; Leifsen, Tymczuk, 2012; Smeeton, O'Connor, 2020). Observing practices of transnational parenthood permits the assessment of the situation of transnational families in terms of risk and uncertainty. We consider to which extent the latter are manageable, and what are the implications in terms of potential demand for support from welfare providers.
... Transnational family scholars claim family as constituting one of the most common and most important domains of transnationalism (Ducu et al., 2018;Merla et al., 2020;Schans, 2009). Furthermore, compared to other domains of transnationalism (e.g., community networks, political engagement, entrepreneurial activities) transnational family ties and practices are particularly significant for migrants' identification with their country of origin. ...
Previous research suggests that migrants develop binational identities – a sense of belonging to both their country of origin and of settlement. These identities, in turn, are determined by the way they are treated by the majority population of the receiving society. This article aims to contribute nuance to these understandings of binational identities and experiences of origin-based discrimination in migrants by bringing in a further perspective: transnationalism. In particular, we suggest that transnational family ties and practices increase migrants’ sense of belonging to their country of origin and additionally moderate the impact of origin-based discrimination on the sense of belonging to the country of origin and settlement. We test these hypotheses based on a representative survey among the migrant population in Germany. While findings confirm the hypothesis regarding a direct relationship between transnational family ties and practices and sense of belonging, the moderation hypothesis was not confirmed. Instead, by tendency the relationship is more pronounced among participants without transnational family ties and practices. Findings highlight the importance of the transnational perspective to further contextualize the relationship of origin-based discrimination to binational identities among migrants, thus to investigate the role of social context in binational identity formation.
... This concerns, on the one hand, families in transnational settings (Cienfuegos et al., 2023;Crespi et al., 2018). With regard to children, transnational migration studies deal with topics such as transnational childhoods (Ducu et al., 2018;Reisenauer, 2022), transnational parenting (Baldassar & Merla, 2014;Carling et al., 2012), as well as global care chains (Hochschild, 2000). On the other hand, with the focus on receiving countries, there is an ongoing discussion on the situation of children born to immigrant parents. ...
Even if families in migration contexts have been the subject of an increasing amount of attention in migration research in the recent years, there is a noticeable knowledge deficit with regard to current parenting practices and socialization goals of immigrant families living in Germany. This is particularly striking since child-rearing is of central importance for children’s development and their educational pathways. This paper seeks to fill this gap, drawing on the survey “Growing up in Germany: Everyday Life” (AID:A) provided by the German Youth Institute (DJI). Similarities and differences in attitudes towards parenting among immigrant mothers compared to mothers without migration backgrounds were analyzed with regard to parenting practices (emotional warmth, punishment and child’s active participation) and socialization goals (performance/self-control and positive social behavior). In a sample of 5870 mothers reporting on a child under the age of nine, mothers in families where both they and the father had Turkey, Russia or Poland as their country of origin were included and compared to autochthonic families. The results revealed significant differences in parenting practices and socialization goals between mothers with and without migration backgrounds. Concerning parenting practices, Turkish and Russian mothers differed significantly from German mothers with regard to emotional warmth and punishment. In terms of socialization goals, all immigrant mothers placed more emphasis on both performance/self-control, as well as positive social behavior for their children than mothers without migration backgrounds in Germany.
... Estudiosos tem argumentado que há importantes falhas no conhecimento acumulado sobre crianças em estudos sobre as mobilidades contemporâneas (ALLEN WHITE ET AL., 2011;CONTRERAS;GRIFFITH, 2012;DOBSON, 2009;GARDNER, 2012, OLWIG, 1999PARREÑAS, 2005;DUCU ET AL., 2018). O diagnóstico traçado é de que os dados, tanto estatísticos quanto qualitativos, são incompletos e focados em grupos de jovens e crianças em situações de vulnerabilidade. ...
O artigo aborda a centralidade das crianças nos projetos migratórios e nas trajetórias de vida de mulheres-mães no arquipélago de Cabo Verde, África. Primeiramente abordarei a perspectiva dessas mulheres e suas trajetórias de vida vinculadas a projetos migratórios em andamento ou em construção. Por meio das categorias “superação” e “sacrifício”, pretendo demonstrar a centralidade dos filhos em suas estratégias e táticas de mobilidade, sendo as crianças tanto motores que alavancam tais projetos quanto travas que os interrompem ou inviabilizam. A seguir introduzo a perspectiva de crianças e jovens, seus discursos, sentimentos e ações em tais projetos de mobilidade. Busco compreender como é crescer em um contexto em que a mobilidade é um dado que permeia imagens de um futuro que poderá ser sempre vivido em um lugar diferente, imaginado e distante. O artigo pretende abordar tanto a centralidade das crianças nos sucessos e fracassos de projetos migratórios familiares quanto indicar como as mobilidades são centrais nas vidas e projetos de crianças e jovens quando pensam sobre o presente e imaginam um futuro.
... By the 2000s, the second wave of scholarship focused on gendered approaches to "doing family" in transnational settings (Chuang & Tamis-LeMonda, 2013). Researchers note how gendered relationships that seem contained within a specific national context are actually shaped by cross-border dynamics, such as access to information technology or frequency of travel (Baldassar et al., 2007;Ducu et al., 2018). Compelled by migration, these families are governed more strongly by a promise of shared time and space in reunification after years of separation (Telegdi-Csetri, 2018). ...
We utilize insights from previous qualitative research to explore fathering among immigrant fathers from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (the Northern Triangle of Central America). We present a conceptual model of transnational fathering practices in order expand beyond common cultural frameworks that are used to examine within‐group differences for Latino fathers. We describe four key practices of transnational fathering: (1) negotiation of illegality, (2) providing from the shadows, (3) maintenance of transnational family networks, and (4) communication with mobile families via information technology. This model can expand our understanding of and practice with immigrant and refugee families who live between and within multiple national borders.
... Grandparents also contribute to decisions about ICT use, especially when they spend a fair amount of time taking care of grandchildren (Nimrod et al., 2019). This might especially be the case in multigenerational families living together or in families affected by parents' migration for work (Ducu et al., 2018). ...
Objective
Our aim was to understand family conflicts, specifically those involving grandmothers, related to use of new communication technologies.
Background
Research shows that tension between family members in intergenerational contexts arises in relation to technology. This is especially common when attitudes toward technology differ among family members. Differing opinions around technology use create gaps in skills and perceived competence. Grandparents' voices about the challenges of perpetual connectivity in family settings are absent in the research on technology domestication and mediation.
Method
To fill this gap, semistructured group interviews were conducted with women in Canada, Colombia, Israel, Italy, Peru, Romania, and Spain. All women were aged 65 years and older, had grandchildren, and used information and communication technology (ICT).
Results
Grandmothers experienced conflicts when interacting with grandchildren due to ginability to recognize online threats. Asking for help in managing different applications could be a source of family conflicts. Embarrassment and unease is reduced when grandmothers call grandchildren for help, rather than receive assistance from their adult children. Conflictual moments also emerged around the use of ICT at family dinners or other gatherings, with grandmothers showing more tolerance in this context for grandchildren than for their adult children.
Conclusion
Family conflicts over technology use may differ when involving adult children versus grandchildren.
Implications
The voices of grandmothers express the importance of permanent and affordable opportunities for people to receive assistance in technology use outside of family contexts.
This comparative study of COVID-19 lockdown aims to underline changes in gender role behaviors of South-Asian men (husbands) living in different gender regimes: Pakistan and Germany. As a nascent contribution to existing discourses of political science (gender regimes), international migration, and men and masculinity, the study compares self-reported changes in husbands' masculine and feminine role behaviors with perceptions of their wives during the lockdown period. A gender role behavior scale is adapted to design an online survey and collect data through convenient and snowball sampling techniques. By computing analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures, the study infers that the COVID-19 driven first lockdown has limited the mobility of men (husbands). Thus, they have reported a significant decline in their traditional masculine role behaviors (outside the home) in both countries. Nonetheless, a subsequent increase does not appear in their feminine role behaviors. Although temporary suspension of their breadwinning roles due to lockdown has allowed them to modify their gender role behaviors by sharing increased domestic and caregiving tasks in families, a significant change does not appear in their behaviors. Findings conclude that social upheaval (COVID-19) does not convince men (hus-bands) to interchange their masculine and feminine role behaviors in families. Thus, inferences support key prims of bio-socialists that gender role behaviors are inherited and may change through cultural advancements (through gender education and enabling legal frameworks) in relatively less gender-egalitarian societies and proper 'gendered integration' initiatives in relatively more gender-egalitarian societies.
Referring to the children of circular migrants as Euro-orphans could arouse implicit negative attitudes, serving as an essential source of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against them. Based on: (1) the three-factor theory of attitude, (2) the automatisation of cognitive, emotional and behavioural processes concept, and (3) the linguistic relativism theory, and the aforementioned assumption was tested in eight experiments (n = 160 subjects), and the gathered data were summarised in the meta-analysis. It turned out that contact with the term “Euro-orphan” (vs. “child”) was the source of negative attitudes among 73% of participants (Cohen’s d = 0.693). The strongest effect was recorded in the behavioural (1.195), affective (0.556) and cognitive domain of attitude (0.309). The observed regularities and their practical (educational) implications were discussed in the light of the theory of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination of various social groups.
This work presents the strategies of transnational motherhood that migrant mothers from Romania employ in relation with their children. These women need to confront a defamatory discourse that accuses them of abandoning their children, at the macro level (society), but also at the meso level (community) and the micro one (family). Through the transfer of care, educational support, redefinition of motherhood and transnational relationships, these women succeed in fulfilling their role as mothers. The work proposes two theoretical models for understanding the exercise of transnational motherhood: the model of care in transnational motherhood and the model of functioning of transnational motherhood, through emphasizing the need for displaying transnational families. From a methodological viewpoint, this work is a feminist qualitative research, at which 37 subjects have participated (transnational family members and key persons) from six rural transnational communities.
