Intergenerational Relationships in Migrant Families. Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Abstract

This study considers migration as a family-based project in which parents as well as their children are involved. As a consequence, we collect data on the relations between generations, and especially on remittances and gifts that circulate between migrants and their offsprings. Differences in intergenerational exchanges exist depending on whether children lived in the country of origin or whether the family formation occurred after migration and children were born in the country of destination. We present two surveys in which respondents were migrants of the first generation. These surveys show that retirement represents a crucial event in migrant families. The results show that the place where children live is an important factor determining parents’ residence after retirement. We also find evidence that when parents remain in the host country rather than migrate back to the country of origin, intergenerational economic transfers go more often from children to parents.