Who benefits when Thai migrants move to Germany? Family ties and resilience

What is it about?

Many people from rural Thailand move to Germany, most of them women who marry German partners, and they remain closely connected to their families at home. This study asks how these ties affect the ability of families to deal with stress such as illness, debt, unreliable farming income and price swings, and to plan for the future. It followed families over ten months, from villages in Thailand, through Bangkok, to cities in Germany. It combined in-depth interviews with 20 families, a household survey in Thailand, an online survey of Thai migrants in Germany, group discussions and observation. Migration changed life most for the migrants themselves, but even loose ties usually brought basic support for relatives at home. Regular contact helped families cope with problems, and strong emotional and social bonds helped them plan ahead. Older relatives often became more dependent on the family members abroad.

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Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Migration is often assumed to make families stronger, but this is rarely examined closely. The study shows that the answer depends on whose resilience we look at. A family is not one unit: migrants and relatives at home, and younger and older members, experience migration very differently, and costs and benefits are unevenly shared. Money alone is not enough. New ideas and practices only help when migrants and relatives understand each other's situations and can adapt them to local conditions. The study also shows that resilience is an ongoing process rather than a state that is reached, and that families can be hit by new problems at home and abroad. For research and policy, this means looking beyond the amount of money sent home and asking about relationships, obligations and life stages.

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