The Impact of Labour Migration on the Children Left Behind: A Study of Elementary School Children in the Philippines

Although the family in the migration process has been extensively studied, much less attention has been given to the impact of migration on family members left behind. This paper explores in particular the impact on the children, through a research conducted among elementary school children of Filipino migrants. Overall, the impression is that migration is not necessarily disruptive for the development of the children left behind, particularly if it is the mother who remains in the home. The effect depends mostly on the extent of involvement of the extended family in complementing the gaps resulting from parental absence. It is important to provide the family members left behind, particularly the husbands, with adequate training on child rearing, counselling, and different forms of support.