Differential Impacts of Migration on the Family Networks of Older People in Indonesia: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Distance migration has long been familiar to Indonesians, given the country's size and multi-island geography. Current transnational movement further extends this experience, as one of several movement options. Longitudinal demographic and anthropological study of three Indonesian communities provides comparative evidence of the structure and variation of movement, with particular reference to impacts of younger people's migration on the older generation. The gradual expansion of network migration over ever-greater distances reveals local dynamics that underlie a more general historical process. The norm is one in which a network balance is struck between the activities of elders and their children, some of whom are living nearby, whilst others live at varying distances away. Significant material advantages of remittances and other support are more likely to accrue to members of higher socioeconomic strata, and to those with more cohesive kin networks. In poorer strata, distance migration tends to provide one of a number of supports that enable families to survive, but not to improve their situation substantially. Remittances from transnational migrants, as with internal distance migration, are important chiefly as expressions of network solidarity. One of their principal requirements is usually the continuing role of elders' own active network contributions.

Missing links in the forest–migration nexus: An analysis of trends, literature and data sources

“…In line with these benefits, it is seen that households actively encourage, support and control migration as a strategy of family labor allocation that continually readjusts to physical, economic and familial circumstances (Hugo 1995;Leinbach and Watkins 1998;Kreager 2006;Kreager and Schröder-Butterfill 2015). Moreover, the migrants themselves actively develop legal and illegal strategies to increase their income and build up savings.…”

“…The family exercises control by providing or withdrawing approval, funds and a social network (Hugo 1995). For the elderly, it is important that the division of labor in the family is balanced in terms of migrants and non-migrants, because the elderly often rely for their economic well-being on the financial remittances of family members living far away while also depending on the physical care of family members living nearby (Kreager 2006; | 31 Kreager and Schröder-Butterfill 2015). Surveys in Sumatra and Java found that there were very few cases of poor elderly people who were left alone by all of their children and did not receive any help from them (Kreager 2006).…”

“…[C9] Ageing in Indonesia Philip Kreager of the Oxford Institute of Ageing has led a comparative longitudinal study on the impact of migration on old-age support networks in three Indonesian rural communities, on Java and Sumatra (Kreager 2006;Kreager and Schröder-Butterfill 2015). Two hundred five households were surveyed in 2000 and 2005.…”

Transnational families and the circulation of care: a Romanian–German case study

“…A contrasting second body of literature emphasises the benefits of migration through remittances from migrant family members 2 . Remittances have been particularly significant where migrants have left behind a spouse and/or children (Attias-Donfut 2016; Gamburd 2015; Rindfuss et al 2012); apparent flows to the older generation are often intended to cover the costs of grandchildren in skipped-generation households (Cook and Liu 2016; Kreager and Schröder-Butterfill 2015). Material transfers targeted at elderly parents have mainly received attention in Asia.…”

Barriers to linking research and policy: the case of long-term care in low and middle income countries

“…The limited evidence is usually derived from small qualitative studies which do not lend themselves to wider generalisation. Moreover, these studies often reveal that the effects of these wider social trends on the provision of care are nuanced, and vary across groups and contexts (Aboderin, 2004;Kreager and Schröder-Butterfill, 2015; Gomes da Conceição and Montes de Oca Zavala, 2004). The complex relationships identified in these studies are not easily translated into clear policy messages, and run up against an established bias of policy-makers towards supposedly more authoritative quantitative evidence.…”