“Doing Family or Undoing Family?” – Grandparental Care Relations Among Pakistani Transnational Families in the UK

Transnational families, characterized by geographically dispersed members who maintain strong familial bonds, are increasingly common in today's globalized world. Literature on transnational families often portrays older individuals as passive care recipients, “left behind” by adult children or family members who migrate to other countries. This narrative reinforces stereotypes of older persons as dependent and isolated. However, this research challenges that notion, arguing that older people can actively participate in transnational families by contributing to an intergenerational exchange of care.

Investigating the complex interplay of migration, care, and transnational families, this research seeks to understand how care is reimagined and reconstructed within Pakistani families residing in the UK with a specific focus on grandparents and their role in navigating caring responsibilities across their life-course, within and beyond national borders. Utilizing qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and arts-based methods, the study - involving multiple interviews with 24 participants - addresses specific research questions related to: grandparents' negotiation of intergenerational and multidirectional care arrangements; the impact of UK migration regimes and welfare and family policies on grandparental migration and care responsibilities; and the gendered dynamics that shape these caring relationships. By also interviewing grandparents who have returned to Pakistan after visiting their families in the UK, the research provides a unique perspective on caring experiences of returned or mobile migrants. This approach helps uncover the complexities of caring in temporal and spatial contexts, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of proximate versus distant care experiences within transnational Pakistani families across the life-course.