Page 106 - CONFERENCE BOOK OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GENDER, CULTURE AND SOCIETY (ICGCS) 2021

CONFERENCE PROGRAM AND ICGCS 2021

ABSTRACT BOOK

Gender and Family

Gender Construction in Child Care among Farm

Laborer’s Families

Irza Khurun'in

Universitas Brawijaya

There are more than 3,6 millisian migrant workers around the world today. Most of them

are low wage and low skilled migrant workers. The prevailing labour migration regime in

Asia does not provide opportunities for low-wages migrant workers to reunification with

their families in the host country. The implication is there are millions of children are

living in the long-term absence of one or both parents and often mothers because their

parent migrates from home to another place. Increasing feminization of transnational

labour migration has raised concerns over potential care crises at home, and

consequently a care deficit for children left in origin countries. So, this study is to examine
the community-based parenting towards left-behind children in Indonesia.

This study is based primarily on qualitative research with Indonesian rural household in
provinces with a high level of out-migration outside the main metropolitan areas, in East

Java. The methods were in-depth interview and focus group discussion with the female

migrant worker, left-behind family, and left-behind children. The selected respondent is a

sample of 30 female migrant workers overseas and their left-behind families and left-

behind children in East Java. We adopt the view that “methodologies incorporating more

than one individual in a household can shed light on the multiple subjectivities within

migrant households and foreground the perspectives of young people by treating them

as equals” (Dobson, 2009).

The increased feminization of labour migration gives the transformation of patriarchal
gender role in families but in very limited condition.

Parental migration gives an impact on parenting left-behind children. It affects the
development of children in psychosocial.

Community-based parenting is a way out in parental migration with left-behind children

and left-behind family. The high social cohesion in rural communities is a factor that

influences community-based parenting.

This study shows that an understanding of the impact of migration on parenting is

significantly needed because what is needed in the growth and development of children

is not only material welfare but also emotional support from the parent in creating the

character and social identity.

Keywords: Female migrant workers, feminization of labour migration, left-behind

children, left-behind family, community-based parenting

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