Parenting from a distance and processes of family reunification : a research on the Italian case

A new trend has emerged over the recent years in the relationship between immigration and family structures, especially in Italy and Southern Europe: it is no longer just single men or women who emigrate first, but also mothers who leave their children at home. In relation to the departure of the mothers, the issue of so-called ‘transnational families’ has arisen. Transnational family relations and reunifications, the paths of men and women, the factors influencing choices and practices, the forms and problems of child care, are the arguments discussed in this article on the basis of research carried out in Italy. In particular, the employment of most first-migrant women in the domestic sector creates a tension with their desire to reunite their children in Italy, but it is sometimes also a resource. More specifically, the issues that will be discussed include: (1) differences in care practices from a distance between fathers and mothers; (2) the difficulties and differentiations of the processes of family reunification, always taking gender differences into account; (3) a deeper analysis of the condition of first-migrant mothers, both as single mothers and as protagonists of reunification with their husbands and children. I shall show in particular that family reunification is often not the happy end of the story, but a new beginning which creates challenges, tensions, and crises.