Environment and Planning A
Volume 44, Issue 4, 2012, Pages 793-815

Transnational families and the family nexus: Perspectives of Indonesian and Filipino children left behind by migrant parent(s) (Article) (Open Access)

Graham E.* , Jordan L.P. , Yeoh B.S.A. , Lam T. , Asis M. , Su-Kamdi
  • a Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, Irvine Building, North Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AL, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • b Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, International Centre for Child Well-Being, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, England, United Kingdom
  • c Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, AS2, #03-01, Arts Link, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117570, Singapore
  • d Asian MetaCentre, Asian Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 469A Tower Block, Bukit Timah Campus, Singapore 259770, Singapore
  • e Scalabrini Migration Center, 40 Matapat St., Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100, Philippines
  • f Faculty of Geography, Gadjah Mada University, Bulaksumur G-7, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia

Abstract

As a significant supplier of labour migrants, Southeast Asia presents itself as an important site for the study of children in transnational families who are growing up separated from at least one migrant parent and sometimes cared for by 'other mothers'. Through the often-neglected voices of leftbehind children, we investigate the impact of parental migration and the resulting reconfiguration of care arrangements on the subjective well-being of migrants' children in two Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia and the Philippines. We theorise the child's position in the transnational family nexus through the framework of the 'care triangle', representing interactions between three subject groups-'left-behind' children, non-migrant parents/other carers; and migrant parent(s). Using both quantitative (from 1010 households) and qualitative (from 32 children) data from a study of child health and migrant parents in Southeast Asia, we examine relationships within the caring spaces both of home and of transnational spaces. The interrogation of different dimensions of care reveals the importance of contact with parents (both migrant and nonmigrant) to subjective child well-being, and the diversity of experiences and intimacies among children in the two study countries. © 2012 Pion Ltd and its Licensors.

Author Keywords

Transnational families Southeast Asia Care triangle Child well-being

Index Keywords

labor migration Indonesia qualitative analysis quantitative analysis Philippines migrant worker
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84864270418&doi=10.1068%2fa4445&partnerID=40&md5=fd22ea4ba598ccdc1c017f9f3e85b154
DOI: 10.1068/a4445
ISSN: 0308518X
Cited by: 57
Original Language: English