Transnational mothering and forced migration: Understanding the experiences of Zimbabwean mothers in the UK

Abstract

A growing body of scholarship has documented the experiences of different groups of migrants involved in the maintenance and development of transnational families worldwide showing that proximity is not a prerequisite of family life and that families can successfully be done from a distance. While most work deals with the experiences of labour migrants less attention has been paid to forced migrants. Still little is known about families that fail to operate transnationally and are broken by the migration experience. For instance, when can we say that this type of family cannot be sustained? This article, drawing on the transnational motherhood literature and on Zontini (2010) previous study on Filipino labour migrants in Southern Europe, highlights the factors that shape transnational parenting. The authors then use this framework to explore the experiences of a group of Zimbabwean asylum seeking mothers in the UK. In doing so, the authors point out some of the specificities of this particular group; highlighting the differentiated impact of transnationalism and contributing to refining the literature on transnational parenthood.

Transnational parenthood and forced migration: the case of asylum-seeking parents who are forcibly separated from their families by immigration laws

“…In this work they shed light on migrant children's vulnerability as well as the changing culture of parenting and extended family obligations as a consequence of mass exodus and the ongoing crisis. While we need to be cautious not to generalise about the impacts of separation on Zimbabwean migrant children in the sense that some families are still finding kin a useful resource (McGregor, 2008), the mothers in my study expressed great fear that in the prevailing situation, their children were often used as 'meal tickets' (Madziva and Zontini, 2012). Parents routinely reiterated how their children were being exploited by extended family members whose energies seem to have been redirected towards their immediate families.…”

“…She demonstrates how the gendered cultural expectation of instantaneity can be impeded by structural factors such as poor communication, infrastructural development and unfriendly work conditions. What has not been fully explored, however, is the extent to which transnational gendered expectations may be thwarted by legal constraints, particularly with regards to asylum-seeking mothers fleeing to the increasingly restrictive asylum regimes of liberal democracies such as the UK (Madziva and Zontini, 2012).…”

Maternidade transnacional e produção de subjetividade: as experiências de mulheres brasileiras imigrantes vivendo em Londres

“…Portanto, como a literatura corrente sobre maternidade transnacional demonstra, a distância e a ausência física são compatíveis com a participação dessas mães nas vidas de suas/eus filhas/os. Assim, a proximidade não se constitui em um pré-requisito sine qua non para vida em família no contexto da maternidade transnacional, pois o cuidado pode ser praticado à distância (Erel, 2002;Madziva;Zontini, 2012).…”

Distance Parenting – Implications for Social Work Practice

“…As a result of long periods of absence, a cultural gap may develop between the parents and the family (Heymann, Flores-Macias, Hayes, Kennedy, Lahaie & Earle, 2009;Ramphele & Richter, 2006). The absence of parents in the formative and teenage years of their children's lives may erode family relationships and contribute towards an inability to form and maintain a sense of unity and common purpose (Madziva & Zontini, 2012;Van Breda, 1999); teenage delinquency may also increase (Smit, 2001). There is no doubt that children are affected by distance parenting, notwithstanding their ages or level of family care and support; this is discussed next.…”

“…Caregiving remains a predominantly feminised function all over the world, even when the father is present in the household (Boccagni, 2012;Madziva & Zontini, 2012;Parreñas, 2008;Richter, Chikovore & Makusha, 2010;Schatz, 2007;Smit, 2002). It is not surprising that women continue to be constrained by care-giving roles even when they do not physically reside with their children.…”