CRFR International Conference day 2

#CRFR2013

Rhacel Parrenas presented her research on the intimate labour of transnational communication. Revisiting her original research she considers assumptions of how intimacy is constructed in families with migrant working mothers or fathers.

Rhacel highlighted the cultural expectation that migrant parents should replicate intimate life in nuclear families. Migrant mothers constructed intimacy through routines, rather than through being instantly available in the way nuclear families might perceive motherhood. This was an idea for mothers, rather than fathers.

Intimacy constructed through ways that challenge traditional time and space relations. 70% of migrant workers are women – breadwinning, but still responsible for nurturing children even from a distance, with their children supported by a wide network of women with fathers often leaving the nuclear home. Migrant fathers left wives in nuclear family environments to receive their pay and raise children.

70% of migrant workers are women, they are breadwinners, but still responsible for nurturing children even from a distance, with their children supported by a wide network of women. Many choose to become migrant workers as a route out of their marriage.

Two paper session followed - delegates continue to tweet observations from paper sessions - follow  comments and observations here #CRFR2013

The afternoon plenary session will see Jo Boyden talk about what international comparative longitudinal research contributes to researching, understanding and changing childhood poverty in developing countries.