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South African International Migration and its Impact on Older Family Members
Author(s) -
MarchettiMercer Maria C.,
Swartz Leslie,
Jithoo Vinitha,
Mabandla Nthopele,
Briguglio Alessandra,
Wolfe Maxine
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12493
Subject(s) - grandparent , emigration , perspective (graphical) , extended family , qualitative research , sociology , gender studies , psychology , family ties , focus group , bridge (graph theory) , social psychology , developmental psychology , political science , medicine , genealogy , history , social science , artificial intelligence , computer science , anthropology , law
In this article, we explore the impact of South African families’ emigration on parents/grandparents who must renegotiate their lives in their loved ones’ physical absence. We adopted a transnational perspective in a bigger qualitative project to consider both sides of the migratory spectrum. Here we focus on elderly family members who remain behind—a group largely neglected in prior research. Our findings illustrate the complex emotions and relational changes experienced by elderly people whose families emigrate. New technologies bridge distances, allowing new ways to connect and take care of each other, and of re‐imagining transnational relationships and what constitutes family life, but these bridges cannot negate the loss experienced by those remaining. People have to make sense of the emigration and forge new relational bonds with remaining family members. Our findings stress grandparents’ meaningful role in a family system and highlight some gendered and racial differences in families’ experiences.