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Transnational Mothers and the Law: Ghanaian Women’s Pathways to Family Reunion and Consequences for Family Life

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Family Life in an Age of Migration and Mobility

Part of the book series: Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship ((MDC))

Abstract

How migration policies affect family mobility and relationships is a new and emerging area of study within transnational family literature. This chapter contributes to this literature by providing an in-depth examination of Ghanaian migrant mothers’ encounters with Dutch family migration policies and the impacts such policies have on their pathways to family reunion and the consequences for family relationships. The data come from qualitative research with 32 female Ghanaian migrants in The Netherlands. Adopting a gender-sensitive approach, our study shows discrepancies between the normative frameworks that underlie formal conditions to family reunion and female migrants’ family lives. Moreover, it shows that restrictive migration policies constrain women’s flexibility, a key aspect of Ghanaian family life, and shape dependencies and inequalities within families.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For more information on the project, refer to www.tcra.nl.

  2. 2.

    Pseudonyms are used throughout the chapter.

  3. 3.

    Akan is the largest ethnic group in Ghana.

  4. 4.

    In Ghana, most students complete their secondary education between the ages of 17 and 20.

  5. 5.

    Until 2012, it was possible to obtain a Dutch residence permit on the basis of a legally recognised relationship. Since 2012, this has narrowed to marital relationships.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Globalization and Development, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands

    Miranda Poeze & Valentina Mazzucato

Authors
  1. Miranda Poeze
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  2. Valentina Mazzucato
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Correspondence to Miranda Poeze .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Majella Kilkey

  2. Department of Gender Studies, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany

    Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck

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Poeze, M., Mazzucato, V. (2016). Transnational Mothers and the Law: Ghanaian Women’s Pathways to Family Reunion and Consequences for Family Life. In: Kilkey, M., Palenga-Möllenbeck, E. (eds) Family Life in an Age of Migration and Mobility. Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52099-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52099-9_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-52097-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-52099-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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