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Migration, Family, Women, and Children: Multiple Relationships

Migration, Family, Women, and Children: Multiple Relationships. Gustavo López Castro El Colegio de Michoacán glopez@colmich.edu.mx. Regional Conference on Migration Seminar on Migration and Family Tijuana, April 21-23, 2010. To be addressed:. Migration, a dynamic factor

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Migration, Family, Women, and Children: Multiple Relationships

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  1. Migration, Family, Women, and Children: Multiple Relationships Gustavo López Castro El Colegio de Michoacán glopez@colmich.edu.mx Regional Conference on Migration Seminar on Migration and Family Tijuana, April 21-23, 2010

  2. To be addressed: Migration, a dynamic factor Social problems and migration Grey tones in migration as a factor affecting communities and regions Migration of boys, girls, and adolescents and socialization processes Education and migration Family recomposition Women, migration, and emotional health

  3. Migration from Mexico to the US • Given the wide geographic and social dispersion, migration currently affects culture, history, the world perspective, personal and regional income and, finally, the daily life of hundreds of thousands of families (about 2 million in the country).

  4. Dynamics of Migration: An example after 1986 Entire families An increasing number of female migrants An increasing number of migrant boys, girls, and adolescents Dispersion and changes in labor markets

  5. Diversity in the Phenomenon of Migration Multiple Causal Factors Labor migration Migration for family reasons Involuntary movements Non-economic variables Various Actors Men Women Boys and girls Adolescents Elderly persons Entire families Indigenous populations

  6. Differential “Causes” and “Effects” The social history of the community/region affects the key characteristics of migration at a micro level: Destinations Labor markets Modes of mobility Undocumented, Coyotes, documented, contracts (H-2A visas, Canada Program), etc. Gender / generation Amount and destination of remittances

  7. Migration as a Factotum of Social Problems Family disintegration and separation Faith-based changes Increasing bands, gangs, drug abuse Decreasing rural populations Older rural populations Abandoning agricultural areas Loss of identity and culture Problems “that did not exist before” Etc., etc.

  8. Migration is one of Several Variables • It can be very significant • It is almost never the only cause • Its impact needs to be pondered

  9. Four Spheres of Importance of Migration • Socialization processes of boys, girls, and adolescents within contexts of migration • School, education • Family recomposition processes • Emotional health

  10. Socialization Processes of Boys, Girls, and Adolescents within Contexts of Migration A social mechanism occurring in migrant communities to reduce suffering because of: The departure of one or both parents Their own departure Social and cultural adjustment

  11. Socialization: Reaching the Age to go North Everybody reaches that age “We need to prepare them” Internalizing ideas about the North and migration A legitimate aspiration Conferring an objective aspect to absence Videos, photos, “souvenirs”, stories, myths “Trying out the North”

  12. Under-Age Persons in the Migration Flow (5-17 years) Source: INEGI, II Population and Housing Census, 2005

  13. School, Education Loss of human capital Silvia Giorguli: The trend to drop out of school when a family member migrates or when the migration intensity rate is high Lindsay Lowell: Of all adults born in Mexico who finished high school, 15% are migrants 11% of Mexicans with a professional degree are living in the US 2 out of every 3 migrant children who return to Mexico show perform poorly at school for 2 years. After that period they are resilient or they drop out.

  14. The Teacher’s Authority Has your teacher told you about the North in class? Yes = 83% No = 17% What did you understand from what your teacher told you: Is it good or bad to go North? Good = 61% Bad = 35%

  15. Family Recomposition Processes:Negotiation and Reorganization • New? families • Homes with significant differences in the ages of the family members • Long-distance parenthood • “Filial” homes

  16. Social Stress Factors Long-distance control by spouses or parents (through the mother-in-law, uncles and aunts, telephone, Internet) Sexual harassment Fluctuating income (including remittances) Decomposition of the social fabric (gives room to gossip, defamation) Complexity of modern life at a local level Lack of access to psychological care Lack of awareness by institutions (school, church, health care services) A source of stress, anxiety, and physical-emotional problems for women

  17. Emotional Health:Emotional Disorders among the Wives of Migrants Source: Survey on Emotional Health among the Wives of Migrants A non-probability sample of 235 women with spouses from 10 rural locations with high migration rates in Michoacán. Carried out by 4 assistants in June 2006. Two standardized questionnaires were used, one for anxiety and the other for depression, as well as an inventory of disorders and management strategies.

  18. Anxiety and Depression among Women, According to the Migration Condition of the Spouse Source: ESEM, 2006, CER-Colmich.

  19. The Penelope Syndrome Syndrome: A set of symptoms characterizing a disorder or a situation or an increase in the probability of developing a disorder; this group of symptoms has a meaning and an identity. The Penelope Syndrome is found in women who are subject to physical and emotional pressure and can lead to somatic and psychic disorders in a social environment with high rates of male migration.

  20. Repatriated Boys, Girls, and Adolescents in Michoacán Each year, 30-40 boys, girls, and adolescents are repatriated to Michoacán and are handed over to a family member in their community of origin through an administrative procedure (SRE-INM-DIF).

  21. Follow-Up on Repatriated Boys, Girls, and Adolescents 30% of the under-age persons who were repatriated were not in Mexico anymore a year later; 54% were not in Mexico three years after being repatriated Most of the repatriated under-age persons are children under 11 years of age Only 1 out of every 10 thinks that repatriation was positive in their lives because it enabled them to escape from a family situation of violence, mistreatment, or crime. The others have negative feelings about this process.

  22. One third of the interviewed boys, girls, and adolescents had physical and emotional disorders due to repatriation and the experiences they had while in transit and crossing the border. Therefore, the emotional health of deported and repatriated boys, girls, and adolescents needs to be addressed. In addition, mechanisms to follow up on and provide assistance to boys, girls, and adolescents who have been repatriated to communities in Mexico (not necessarily theircommunities of origin) would be desirable, since these populations need to be considered as children at risk.

  23. Since most decisions relating to migration are not made by boys, girls, and adolescents themselves but by their parents, grandparents or other members of their family, they experience stress, anguish, and anxiety caused by the idea of migrating, in addition to the inherent dangers of traveling without identity documents to cross the border.

  24. Since most of the children under 12 years of age migrate for family-related reasons, it would be best to search for alternatives for bi-national negotiations, considering the Child’s Best Interest, with the purpose of reuniting children with their families. Perhaps the “easiest” way is for children to “request” their parents.

  25. Research on Boys, Girls, and Adolescents In view of the increasing research about boys, girls, and adolescents, an ethics reference framework and best practices for research need to be developed, particularly for research relating to migrant boys, girls, and adolescents. Ethics committees exist in Psychology and Biomedical Science; they should also exist in Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work, Economy, and Demography.

  26. Final Comments • The “social problems” in rural communities and locations are affected by multiple variables. • Migration is one of the variables. • However, at least four areas of research may be directly related to migration, and all four areas are very important because they compromise the viability of development in the regions and have an effect on social suffering. They are: Socialization, education, family recomposition, and emotional health.

  27. Urgent Needs • Public policy considering the new modes of family structures is needed • Programs to assist children from homes with significant differences in the ages of the family members • Education for grandparents • Specialized training for teachers • Programs to promote the resilience of children in contexts of migration and in “filial” homes • Emerging emotional health programs for women, boys, girls, and adolescents • Special assistance programs for deported and repatriated boys, girls, and adolescents • Complying with best practices and ethics in social research with boys, girls, and adolescents

  28. Thank you Gustavo López Castro El Colegio de Michoacán glopez@colmich.edu.mx

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