A LITERATURE REVIEW ON MATERNAL MIGRATION: CASES OF CHINA, SRI LANKA, GUATEMALA, PHILIPPINES, AND POLAND

Abstract

The increasing and enhanced migration over borders amplified the interdependency between countries making it as one of globalization’s greatest indicator. The study of migration and its patterns involves analyzing different forces at play, in particular, the causes and impacts on the sending and receiving countries. Anchored on a qualitative research design, the data from secondary sources were gathered through desk research, and organized and analyzed using thematic analysis. This study takes an in-depth discussion and analysis of the degree and impacts of maternal labor migration, specifically in the countries of China, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Philippines and Poland. Findings demonstrate that the increase of ‘feminization’ of labor emigration has brought about concerns over the ‘crisis of care when women and mothers leave. The focus on the impact of mother’s migration is in relation to the perception that although maternal migration has positive effects, i.e. improved livelihood income due to remittances, it could also present complex negative impacts to the welfare of families and children left behind.