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The Changing Role of Women in Transnational Families Living in Senegal and Galicia

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Galician Migrations: A Case Study of Emerging Super-diversity

Part of the book series: Migration, Minorities and Modernity ((MMMO,volume 3))

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Abstract

In this chapter, I present a transnational and gender analysis of the dynamics and strategies of Senegalese families with members living in Galicia. I examine the specific features of many Senegalese families, such as their extended and patrilocal structure, and take a longitudinal approach, which considers what occurs both before and after the migration takes place and explores the important role of the migrant son or daughter and the relevance of other family roles, such as women who care for children and older members of the family, including their in-laws. Data were collected in the form of extended semi-structured interviews with 18 men and 12 women living in Senegal and Galicia, representing 14 transnational families, as well as 21 key informants working in political, social, or academic contexts. There are still relatively few studies analyzing these kinds of processes in the context of Senegalese migration, perhaps because of a tendency to privilege monetary exchange (earnings and remittances) over non-remunerated domestic duties, which is usually a feminine domain. The characteristics and practices of these families are far from atypical and may be productively compared with transnational families in similar migration contexts.

Currently employed as a researcher on the project “Immigrant women, language and society: New perspectives towards integration” (EM2014/042) funded by the Xunta de Galicia from 2014 to 2017.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Senegal achieved independence from France in 1960.

  2. 2.

    Camarero Rioja’s (2010) analysis of National Immigrant Survey data shows the highest level of geographic separation with respect to spouses and children among sub-Saharan migrants (the majority of whom are Senegalese).

  3. 3.

    The interview rubric included retrospective questions concerning economic contribution and caretaking responsibilities before emigration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain

    Iria Vázquez Silva

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  1. Iria Vázquez Silva
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Correspondence to Iria Vázquez Silva .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of A Coruna , A Coruna (Galicia), La Coruña, Spain

    Renée DePalma

  2. Faculty of Sociology, ESOMI (Research Group on the Sociology of International Migrations) , University of A Coruna, A Coruna, (Galicia), La Coruña, Spain

    Antía Pérez-Caramés

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Silva, I.V. (2018). The Changing Role of Women in Transnational Families Living in Senegal and Galicia. In: DePalma, R., Pérez-Caramés, A. (eds) Galician Migrations: A Case Study of Emerging Super-diversity. Migration, Minorities and Modernity, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66305-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66305-0_10

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66305-0

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