{"title":"Transnational Relationships Between African Migrant Parents in Europe and Caregivers in Africa","authors":"Bilisuma B. Dito, Valentina Mazzucato","doi":"10.1002/psp.70115","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research shows the quality of the relationship between migrant parents and local caregivers is important for the care and wellbeing of migrants′ children who stay behind. Yet what exactly constitutes a well-functioning relationship remains to be defined at a large-scale, and especially for the case of African parents migrating to Europe. This study examines what factors shape the quality of relationship between local caregivers and migrant parents as experienced by migrant parents using data on 614 Angolan, Nigerian and Ghanaian migrant parents in Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands. Our findings highlight how caregiving capabilities influenced by remittances, marital status, and socioeconomic positions, influence local caregiver-migrant parent relationships. Gendered care cultures shape how migrant mothers experience warmer but more demanding relationships with local caregivers compared to migrant fathers, while migrant parents in general experience difficult relationships with non-partner biological local caregivers. The study also shows the specific ways migration regimes negatively affect transnational care relationships by causing prolonged family separation and difficulties in the capacity to remit.</p>","PeriodicalId":48067,"journal":{"name":"Population Space and Place","volume":"31 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/psp.70115","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Population Space and Place","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/psp.70115","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"DEMOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Research shows the quality of the relationship between migrant parents and local caregivers is important for the care and wellbeing of migrants′ children who stay behind. Yet what exactly constitutes a well-functioning relationship remains to be defined at a large-scale, and especially for the case of African parents migrating to Europe. This study examines what factors shape the quality of relationship between local caregivers and migrant parents as experienced by migrant parents using data on 614 Angolan, Nigerian and Ghanaian migrant parents in Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands. Our findings highlight how caregiving capabilities influenced by remittances, marital status, and socioeconomic positions, influence local caregiver-migrant parent relationships. Gendered care cultures shape how migrant mothers experience warmer but more demanding relationships with local caregivers compared to migrant fathers, while migrant parents in general experience difficult relationships with non-partner biological local caregivers. The study also shows the specific ways migration regimes negatively affect transnational care relationships by causing prolonged family separation and difficulties in the capacity to remit.
期刊介绍:
Population, Space and Place aims to be the leading English-language research journal in the field of geographical population studies. It intends to: - Inform population researchers of the best theoretical and empirical research on topics related to population, space and place - Promote and further enhance the international standing of population research through the exchange of views on what constitutes best research practice - Facilitate debate on issues of policy relevance and encourage the widest possible discussion and dissemination of the applications of research on populations - Review and evaluate the significance of recent research findings and provide an international platform where researchers can discuss the future course of population research