This article deals with family dynamics in the context of Nigerian female migration to Spain. The main reason for migrating to Europe mentioned by Nigerian women is the desire to support their families back home. For those who travel to Europe overland it means being on the road for months or even several years. In this transitional stage, new and often highly provisional relationships develop, and many female migrants get pregnant. Although their (unborn) children are neither the result of relationships based on mutual consent nor planned, they nonetheless may play a crucial role to proceed with the journey. Their children represent a kind of protection due to tightened migration laws on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, thereby reducing the risk of being deported. Being mostly single mothers, soon after reaching Spain the young women take on the role of double breadwinners. On the one hand, they have to support their relatives in Nigeria. On the other hand, they have to provide for their children born in Morocco or Spain. By looking into their ties to children, husbands, and the family of origin, this article analyzes these new forms of family relationships that span from the country of origin to the transit country and the country of migration. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Nigeria Children transnational migration Spain Morocco Family

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