Sociology
The Gendered Dynamics of Care Work in Transnational Families
Quick fact
In the Philippines, more than 60% of authorized migrant workers are women, and they often send remittances home that support entire extended families, while their own children are cared for by grandmothers and aunts.
Why this is interesting
When a mother leaves her family to work abroad, who takes care of the children left behind? The answer often reveals a hidden chain of women across continents.
Read the full explanation
Understanding The Gendered Dynamics of Care Work in Transnational Families
Think of a transnational family as a family stretched across borders. When a mother migrates for work (often as a domestic worker or nanny), she becomes the breadwinner, but she is still expected to be the emotional caregiver. This creates a 'care deficit' at home. To fill that gap, another woman—a grandmother, an aunt, or an older sister—steps in to provide daily care. This is not a random choice; it follows deeply ingrained cultural norms that say women are naturally suited for caregiving. As a result, care work is 'transnationalized': it moves across borders, but it remains firmly in the hands of women. For example, a mother in Dubai might send money home to her mother in the Philippines, who then buys food and school supplies for her grandchildren. The mother also uses video calls and letters to provide emotional support. This system allows families to survive economically but at a great personal cost to the women involved, who carry the double burden of paid work abroad and unpaid emotional labor from afar.
A deeper explanation
The mechanism behind these gendered dynamics is the global care chain, a term coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild. The chain works like this: a woman from a poor country leaves her own family to care for a wealthy family's children. Her remittances pay for her own children's care, which is typically performed by another woman, often a relative or another migrant. This creates a cascading transfer of care, where love and labor flow from poorer to richer households, and always along gendered lines. Why is it women? Because care work is culturally and economically devalued and naturalized as women's work. This devaluation is key: because care is seen as unskilled and 'women's work', it remains low-paid and low-status. Yet it is absolutely essential for the global economy—without it, wealthier families couldn't both work and raise children. This chain also reveals a paradox: women gain economic independence through migration, but they remain bound by the obligation to be caregivers. Men's roles are often limited to financial provision or being left behind, and they rarely take on the day-to-day carework themselves. This perpetuates the gendered division of labor, even across borders, and has profound consequences for family relationships and gender inequality worldwide.