ABSTRACT
The decision to migrate is often driven by multiple motives, and the subsequent event of migration itself, and the formation of the resulting transnational households, have undeniable consequences for the families and households from which these migrants are drawn, who remain in the country/region of origin.These consequences far outweigh the economic consequences. For instance, while the migration of a household member can influence household and local economies through remittances and/or the expenses incurred by the process of migration, migration also possesses the potential to transform family structures and interactions through the changes resultant upon the absence of the migrant from the household. Earlier research on migration from Kerala has already explored the impact of migration on various members of these transnational households, including women and the elderly remaining in the country/region of origin (Zachariah, Mathew and Rajan 2001a, 2001b, 2003). However, how parental migration impacts children who remain in transnational households in the countries of origin remains understudied. Childhood and adolescence are challenging and turbulent periods in most individuals’ lives, and are attended by marked physical, developmental and psychological changes. Parental migration could make this transitory phase even more challenging than usual for children and adolescents. Migration has the potential to result in real changes in the perspective, behaviours and physical, social and economic realities of the lives of children ‘left behind’. The economic advantages of parental migration for children may be offset by the often
prolonged absences and the disruption of familial interactions. At the same time, we must acknowledge the agency of children in the process of migration; they may well have the rational and intellectual ability to comprehend the need for parental migration and to therefore manage the subsequent separation as well as its emotional impacts. In this chapter, we present some of the preliminary conclusions reached in a study of the impact of parental migration on children ‘left behind’ and highlight the need for further research.
