Intersectional Perspective on Intergenerational Exchange of Support in the Context of Migration

Research on migration tends to focus more on the experience of migrants in receiving nations than on the lives of the ones left behind. While there has been a number of studies on those left behind, the focus is more on the children. There is a lack of research on older persons’ experiences in relation to migration and being members of a migrant family. Using baseline data from the 2018 Longitudinal Survey of Ageing and Health in the Philippines, the paper explores how geographic separation brought about by migration affects the relationship between adult non-coresident children and their older parents in terms of exchange of support. Results point to a bidirectional flow of support, though the notion of children as economic providers in old age remains. More children provide financial support to their parents than receive support from their parents, and this is observed regardless of geographic distance.