IV ISA Forum of Sociology (February 23-28, 2021)

JS-35

Aging and Social Well-Being Concerns Among Migrant and Transnational Families. Part I

Abstract Submissions Closed

RC31 Sociology of Migration (host committee)
RC06 Family Research

Language: English

Session Type: Oral

The issue of aging and social well-being among migrants and their family members is seldom looked at in migration literature. Aging, as a social fact, is also a reality faced by many migrants – whether they are dealing with their own experiences of aging or that of a family member’s. For many migrant and transnational families, aging is significantly linked to issues on social well-being, which also is tied to intergenerational relationships within these kinds of families. Moreover, changes in the family structure brought about by migration processes have affected these kinds of relationships within both migrant and transnational families. How can we problematize family relationships within migrant families, especially when the first generation is facing his/her twilight years in his/her new country? How do aging migrants cope with their own experiences of aging while being away from their adult children and kin? How do migrants deal with notions of well-being, care, and relationships with their aging parents back in their home countries/homeland? What are the gendered and socio-cultural expectations that conflict with structural changes in the host society that affect parent-child relationships within migrant families? This session would like to examine the concept of intergenerational ambivalence and its significance in problematizing family relations within the context of migration, particularly in issues pertaining to aging and social well-being. Moreover, this session hopes to encourage further discussions on aging, well-being and intergenerational ambivalence within these kinds of families. We welcome both empirical and conceptual papers exploring these issues.