Geographic distance and intergenerational relationships in Chinese migrant families

ABSTRACT

This study examines the effect of adult Chinese migrants’ geographic distance from home on their intergenerational relationships with parents who remain behind. We compared monetary and family care support as well as emotional relationships among four parent-child groups: older adults and international migrant children, older adults and internal migrant children (who migrated to other cities in China), older adults and coresiding children, and older adults and local children (living in the same city as their parents). Data were derived from 332 older adults in Beijing, China, with at least one child who migrated to another country or city. Results from chi-square tests, anaylsis of variance (ANOVA) tests, and regression analyses indicate that international and internal migrant children maintain similar intergenerational relationships with their parents, and that both of those groups are less likely than coresiding and local children to have family care exchanges and emotionally close relationships with their parents. The results may help professionals develop supportive services and policies for older adults in migrant families.     

Family ties and economic stability concerns of migrant labour families in Jordan

74 labor migrant families from various socioeconomic classes in Amman, Jordan were interviewed to examine changes in relationships among family members, extended family, and neighbors and their concerns about economic stability in the host country, Jordan, and the world market. Another purpose was to determine how current migration policies of the Arab oil-producing countries which prohibit labor migrants from bringing their families to the host country affect labor migration among families. The families consisted of either those who did or did not accompany the labor migrant. Overall labor migration affected unaccompanied families more than accompanied families, e.g., only 19% of the unaccompanied families reported increased family unity compared with 56% of accompanied families. Problems within unaccompanied families increased in 43% of the cases but in only 6% of the accompanied families. Many of these problems resulted in children dropping out of school which reflected the control fathers had within the family, separation, or divorce. Yet labor migration reduced family ties with extended family members and neighbors almost equally for both groups. Accompanied families were not as concerned about economic stability in Jordan as unaccompanied families (38% vs. 50%). Perhaps these families tended not to invest remittances received from the labor migrants working in Arab oil-producing countries in Jordan. Both groups were quite concerned about the economic stability in the host countries (66% and 72%, respectively) and the world market (59% and 62%, respectively), however. Since family unity suffers when families do not accompany labor migrants, it is suggested that oil-producing nations that depend on foreign labor should guarantee family unity as a human right.     

农民工群体科普状况的调查与思考——以苏州市农民工为例

农民工是我国当今社会的特殊群体，他们科学素质的提高．对整个国民素质的改善以及和谐社会的构建都有着非常重要的意义。首先，农民工科学素质的提高．对其个人的职业发展大有裨益：其次，农民工科学素质的提高．可以帮助他们更好地融入城市．对城市社会的和谐意义重大。     

The migrant family: subsistence strategies in Dominican families in Venezuela

This study of migration to Venezuela from the Dominican Republic used sociological and anthropological techniques to study fragmentation and regrouping of families before and after migration, family subsistence strategies, entry into the labor force, and mutual aid networks among migrants. A 44-item questionnaire was administered in 1987 to 50 heads of households born in the Dominican Republic and residing in Venezuela with their families for at least 1 year. The survey took place in metropolitan Caracas. Its findings were complemented by use of traditional participant-observation. 43 respondents were male and 7 were female. 30 were married, 1 divorced, 16 in consensual unions, and 2 widowed. Respondents' ages ranged from 26 to 57 years. 38 had resided permanently in their place of birth before migrating to Venezuela. 36 had lived in Venezuela for 5-10 years and 9 for 11-15 years. 39 stated that their principal reason for coming to Venezuela was to find employment. 36 entered on tourist visas, 11 on transient visas, and 2 with no documentation. 29 entered the country alone, 12 came with spouses, and 8 with most of their family group. Only 3 planned a future move within Venezuela. The migrants were of relatively low educational status. 16 had incomplete and 19 complete primary educations and 11 had some degree of secondary education. 41 were employed at the time of the survey, 5 were unemployed and 3 were temporarily disabled. 16.3% were vendors, 12.2% were office workers, 8.2% were transport workers, 8.2% were artisans or operators, 8.2% were in domestic service, and 12.2% were in other personal services. 22 worked in enterprises with fewer than 5 workers or were self-employed and only 6 worked in enterprises with 21 or more employees. 11 had had 3 jobs since their arrival, in Venezuela, 8 had had 4, and 25 had had 5 or more. 16 migrants had found their jobs through a direct search, 16 had obtained them through recommendations of friends or relatives, and 2 were contracted abroad. Total time spent unemployed was low. 41 stated that their current employment situation was better than that in the Dominican Republic, 4 that it was about the same, and only 1 that it was worse. 13 of the households contained some type of nuclear family, 13 contained an extended family with spouse, children, and other relatives, and 22 a compound family of some type with relatives and nonconsanguineally related persons. Organization into compound families was found to result from complex networks of assistance and reciprocity among migrants. The average time elapsed after migration by the household head until the family reformed in Venezuela was 1 or 2 years. 38 persons stated they had relatives in other parts of Caracas or elsewhere in Venezuela. There were only 6 households in which wives were not also economically active. 40 respondents reported they gave some type of assistance in money or goods to other relatives outside the household.     

Drafting an international convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and their families

This introduction cites the genesis and history of the International Convention, briefly notes the underlying principles, and broadly states the significance of the text. The draft consists of a Preamble and 91 articles covered in 8 parts: 1) scope and definitions of migrant workers and their families, 2) fundamental human rights of all migrants, 3) additional rights for migrant workers and their families, 4) provisions applicable to particular categories of migrant workers, 5) promotion of sound, equitable and humane conditions in connection with lawful international migration of workers, 6) application of the Convention, 7) general provisions, and 8) final provisions. The importance of this convention is that for the 1st time the rights of all migrant workers, including non-documented workers, will be listed and these rights will be universal and international beyond national definitions. While fundamentally a human problem, migrant workers and their families are also a political and economic issue; the Convention is a means to facilitate and promote bilateral and multilateral relations which can further peace and security.     

German welfare organizations and the process of European integration

The process of European integration affects an increasing number of areas of life. The influence of the European single market on the social sector, including organizations providing human services, can no longer be denied. This article looks at the activities of the European Commission toward these organizations and argues that European regulations are relevant to the German system of social service delivery due to the introduction of market‐like features in the national context. Within this context, German welfare organizations have discovered an important field of interest representation and lobbying.     

Older people in America's immigrant families: Dilemmas of dependence,integration, and isolation

Immigration to the US has given rise to a population of older people who migrate here to be close to their children. Although highly integrated into their intergenerational families, these seniors voice dissatisfaction with their lives in the US. Intensive interviews with 28 transnational seniors demonstrate that their dissatisfaction stems from the contradictions between high cultural expectations for family sociability and structural constraints on kin interaction in the US. Their dissatisfaction is exacerbated by factors isolating them from social contacts outside the family. Although mobility limitations and not speaking English contribute to their isolation, immigrant families play a role. Older people are sometimes isolated by heavy domestic responsibilities in their child's household, solicitous offspring who insulate parents from practical aspects of daily life, and by a collective family ethos that calls on aging parents to subordinate their needs to those of other family members.     

The celebration of death in group process

This paper discusses the mobilization of group resources in facing death. It delineates the evolvement of group process when patients and therapist learned of the oldest member's terminal illness. It deals with the group's commitment to his request for help in dealing with his last life crisis by being actively with him through his hospitalization and last rites; the commitment to death with dignity; the group's responses to the therapist as role model in dealing with death and seeing a facet of her which had not been evident to them within the confines of the office, the working through of the patients' and therapist's feelings of loss of loved ones particularly the father; and the countertransference resistance which resulted and its effect on group process.     

Supporting families throughout the international special needs adoption process

Due to changing trends in international adoption, a greater number of placements are now special needs. While most special needs adoptions are successful, they do present a higher risk for placement instability. Thus, adoptive parents and children are faced with an increasing need for support services. This article explores literature related to support throughout the international special needs adoption process including medical, information/education, social support and direct intervention both pre- and post-adoption. While many support strategies, both formal and informal, are utilized by families and adoption professionals, and some are promoted in policy related literature, few have been validated through empirical evidence. Findings reveal a need for further research around effective pre-adoption training programs for parents, preparation tools for children, and larger scale studies to evaluate post-placement services for each sub-group of international special needs adoptees.     

Parenting and the process of migration: possibilities within South Asian families

The migration experience creates a unique set of challenges for families, which can result in intergenerational conflict and create the conditions for abuse or neglect. Alternatively, families can cope with these challenges in creative and seemingly contradictory ways, thus strengthening family relationships. This article introduces the process of migration as a theoretical framework to use in understanding the complexity of the migration experience as well as the wide range of coping responses within families. The process was developed as a theoretical tool in an ethnographic study of first- and second-generation South Asian women in the United States; the study's findings are used to illustrate the application of the process to South Asian parenting experiences and show how the process of migration-where families adjust to a different set of structural conditions, ideologies, cultural norms, and social systems-shapes parenting and family life.     

Between transnational engagements and local integration of Chinese communities in Italy: An analysis of the role of migrant organisations

Chinese communities represent one of the largest migrant groups in Italy. Current scholarship overwhelmingly focuses on Chinese ethnic businesses and identity issues. This article addresses an important but under-researched topic: the role of migrant organisations in enhancing migrant transnationalism and/or local integration. We examine three predominant types of Chinese migrant organisations in Italy—civic, educational, religious—across multiple cities. We show that, at first sight, educational and religious organisations aim to serve the communities in maintaining transnational links with the Chinese-speaking world, while civic organisations directly promote interactions with the local society. However, deeper analyses reveal that all three types of organisations can play an active role in fostering both migrant transnationalism and local integration, to different degrees in different domains. We discuss policy implications and how potential synergetic collaborations between host society stakeholders and migrant organisations could be explored.     

Multiple-family group intervention for incarcerated adolescents and their families: a pilot project

The Multiple-Family Group Intervention (MFGI) was developed to address the need for an effective and yet affordable treatment for reducing recidivism for incarcerated adolescents and altering the families' coercive interactional patterns from an affect regulation and attachment perspective. The 8-week MFGI program was conducted in two Indiana juvenile correctional institutions. The research study utilized pre- and postintervention assessments and a 6-month follow-up assessment. Data from both male (n = 43) and female (n=30) adolescents were combined, yielding a total sample of 140 respondents (73 adolescents, 67 caretakers). The 6-month follow-up assessment indicated a recidivism rate of only 44% compared to the national norm of 65-85%. Linear growth models were fit to determine the nature of the changes in adolescent behavior over the three assessments. Adolescents and caregivers reported that adolescents' externalizing behaviors significantly declined over time. Adolescent-reported internalizing symptoms as well as their alcohol and drug use significantly declined over the follow-up period, while caregiver reports of these behaviors showed no change over time. Adolescent-reported attachment to their parents, particularly mothers, increased significantly as did both adolescent and caregiver-reported functional affect regulation.     

Parallel process and the forced termination of a milieu group

Parallel process has been observed in the social work and psychiatric literature as an element in the psychodynamics of individual treatment and supervisory relationships. This paper suggests that it is present during group treatment as well and examines its emergence during the termination phase of a milieu group. A review of the literature on both parallel process and termination with groups is presented. It is noted that the conditions necessary for the emergence of parallel process are exactly those found during the termination period of group treatment. Clinical illustrations from the forced termination of a milieu group are presented, documenting a variety of parallel processes which were observed. The dynamics of these processes are examined. Potential indicators of parallel process are discussed, as well as implications for both treatment and supervision.     

Setting norms in the United Nations system: the draft convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and their families in relation to ILO in standards on migrant workers

The author reviews the U.N.'s draft proposal concerning the rights of migrant workers and their families. "This article examines the nature and scope of obligations under the United Nations Convention and contrasts them with existing international standards. In the light of the elaboration of the U.N. Convention, the conditions of future normative activities to limit negative consequences of a proliferation of instruments and supervisory mechanisms are outlined." Consideration is given to human and trade union rights, employment, social security, living and working conditions, workers' families, expulsion, and conditions of international migration. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)