Family Migration Context and Adolescent Family Formation Expectations

Sarah R. Hayford , The Ohio State University
Monica J. Grant, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jennifer Glick, Pennsylvania State University

Migration has consequences for non-migrating household members as well as migrants themselves. In addition to the widely-studied impact of remittances, a few studies have posited that migration can alter the goals and values of household members. This paper studies this phenomenon, focusing on how migration by household members shapes adolescent expectations for their future. We use survey data from the Chitwan Valley of Nepal, a context of rapid social change with newly emerging migration patterns to the Gulf States. Analyses will examine desires for marriage and family formation, school, and migration among adolescents age 11-17. We will use latent class analysis to identify clusters of correlated goals and assess how migration of household members is associated with the distribution of adolescents across clusters. We will draw on rich measures of household migration, structure, and relationships to evaluate possible mechanisms connecting migration and adolescent aspirations, and will explore possible gender differences.

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 Presented in Session 104. International Migration and Child Well-being