Latino Transnational Migration

People generally migrate for better opportunities outside of their countries. Oftentimes, individuals employ sequential or “chain migration,” a pattern where one or more adults migrate first and then gradually send for or receive other family members. People do this for various reasons, migrating to another country with a family or a group of people can be a very risky, especially if it’s done illegally. Most Latinos migrate alone because it is easier to establish themselves first, then eventually the migrants can bring others in. However, there are many families, particularly husbands and wives that migrate together. With transnational migration comes the shift and change in family dynamic along with other pressing issues regarding the health and well being of husbands and wives.Transnational migration affects various aspects of migrants’ lives; one result of this migration is a change in family dynamics. Whether it is one parent, or the entire family migrating, gender roles shift and ideas of familialism are reconstructed with the process of migration.
Migrant Women
Studies have found that women who migrate to the United States gain power because of the social and economic effects of their participation in wage labor. However, women who do not have residence papers, or whose husbands will not let them work, are more isolated and dependent on their husbands than they would be if they had remained in their countries of origin.
Transnational Motherhood
When Latina women immigrate to the United States while their children live back home in their countries of origin, their concept of motherhood changes to accommodate the spatial and temporal separations they experience. This change is known as transnational motherhood, a “Variation in the organizational arrangements, meanings, and priorities of motherhood.”
Their concepts are of motherhood contradict the accepted white middle-class concept in the United States as well as the traditional Latina notions of motherhood.
Women migrate to the United States in search of employment and with the intention of staying for a fixed amount of time; however, as their economic need remains, their stays become more permanent. Even after years of separation, these women do not feel that they have abandoned their children. They women make sure to distinguish their version of motherhood from estrangement, child abandonment, or disowning. Though they are physically separated, the women keep ties with the children and fulfill their responsibilities as mothers. Problems begin to arise and relationships between mothers and children are compromised when gossip is involved. Gossip reinforces gender roles and expectations that mothers be caregivers; therefore, when negative gossip about transnational mothers is confirmed, their children back home begin to question the love that their mothers have for them.
Migrant Men

Studies of gender and migration have generally neglected how men’s lives change with migration. Usually when studying the topic of migration, scholars tend to focus more on how the economic and social context affects women’s resources and bargaining power, instead of also examining how the aspirations and the resources of the men change. The migration of Mexican men to the north offers them attractions such as adventure, a test of manhood against the U.S. law, and a high social status.During the Bracero era,—where Mexican citizens were permitted to take temporary agricultural work in the United States—it wasn’t viewed as “necessary” for women to accompany their husbands. While these men stayed abroad for years without their wives, by necessity, they began to learn domestic tasks. However, the “normal” gender dynamic was reinforced once they were joined by their wives.
Most of the time, when men migrate, they are leaving a family behind— wives and children. For this reason, the patriarchal structure within transnational families wasn’t really affected; however, this can result in a variety of tribulations. Wives are left fearing for the safety of their husbands and of course betrayal. The concern for safety is common and obvious, but many people overlook the unspoken fear the wives of migrant men face, their husband's possible infidelity. The issue of the constantly increasing proportion of AIDs cases in Mexico is recognized. Scholars have argued that the rising cases of the disease is indeed connected to Mexican men becoming infected in the United States and then returning home to their wives.
Once in the U.S., men are at a high risk of contracting HIV because of loneliness. Being without their significant other, they tend to look for a sexual outlet. Of course, this is in no way justifiable, but it is persistent when looking at men and migration. Marital sexuality is a driving force when looking at such an epidemic. Hirsch’s study shows that the wives of these migrant men usually don’t worry about their husbands contracting HIV because they genuinely believe that their husbands are faithful, but most the women studied are aware of the possibility. However, because the societal construction regarding marriage in Mexico is tied to wives respecting their husbands, women prefer to avoid the conversation of using protection during sex and if the topic is addressed it is perceived as lack of trust. When men migrate on their own, sexually transmitted diseases can be transmitted through infidelity, most likely due to the separation from their families and because the wives left behind in their homeland choose to ignore the conversation since it signifies mistrust.
Men are also faced with the negative effects of gossip. They are ultimately faced with rumors circulating around their “infidelity” and around their wives’ commitment back home, thus families are in a way broken due to the lack of trust. Migrant fathers are seen as the economic providers for their families. Therefore, when gossip begins to spread about fathers having affairs in the United States, as long as they are still able to provide for their families in their homeland they are excused for their extramarital sexual behavior. The idea behind this is that when men continue sending money home to their family members in Mexico, it can be concluded that the family in Mexico remains to be of primary importance to them. If men continue living according to the social norms set out for them, then they are essentially praised and respected. However, if they break away from social constructions they are ultimately looked down on; the authority they have over their families is deteriorated. When this happens, the family dynamic is shifted. The migrant fathers are no longer in control of their families.
Migrant Families
Husbands and Wives
When families migrate as units, the men expect their wives to preserve established gender divisions of labor, and women generally oblige even when they work outside the home.
Parents and Children
Parents make the decision to migrate to provide for their children in a way that they would not be able to in their native countries. Families migrate not only for economic reasons, but for education, safety, and to reconnect with other family members as well. In a study conducted by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund and America’s Voice Education Fund, results showed that 40% of Latino men and women decided to migrate to the United States to have a better life for their families. A common concept in the Latino community is "getting ahead." This entails providing an education for their children in the United States and having them learn English in order to enhance their opportunities in the future.
Once families migrate and live together in the United States, they are faced with multiple challenges. They are forced to reshape their environment, adapt their parenting strategies, navigate their new social contexts, learn the language, and cope with the separation from family, friends, and the familiarity of the homeland.
Familism
“Familism involves a deeply ingrained sense of the individual being inextricably rooted in the family. The term encompasses attitudes, behaviors, and family structures within an extended family system and is believed to be one of the most important factors influencing the lives of Latinos”

After the migration process, familism is emphasized and reinforced as families worry about each other and their progress with adjusting to their new home. When families transition to dual earner households, there is a dramatic decrease in the amount of time parents spend with their children; families hardly eat dinner together and being left alone at home, the children focus on and think about their past lives in their homelands. Familism is harder to maintain because of lack of time together as a family in the United States as well as the loss of family social networks in their countries of origin. The longer family members reside in the U.S. and the more acculturated they are, the less familistic. There is also a correlation between familism and education level; levels of familism decrease with higher levels of education.
Changes in Parenting
Some parents fear that by assimilating to American culture and adopting American values and behavior, their children will abandon their cultural heritage. As Latinos and immigrants, their “otherness” is emphasized and for the first time, both parents and children experience negative stereotypes from their American counterparts. In response to perceived threats and danger in the new environment of the United States, some Latino parents may develop stricter parenting strategies. Rules are especially strict for daughters, they are allowed little time for recreation outside of the home. This strictness can be understood as a way for parents to protect their children from the unknown American society. For families without residence papers, involvement with the police was worrisome. Many migrant Mexican parents had to remind their children to "obey the law and keep out of legal trouble."

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