The Consequences of Overseas Employment of Parents on the Education and Well-Being of Filipino Children

Joy Arguillas, University of the Philippines
Lindy Williams, Cornell University

Much has been written about the effects of split families on the well-being of children, particularly when the reason for the split is divorce, and particularly in western contexts. In this research we investigate the extent to which family structure influences children’s educational outcomes, employment decisions, and emotional well-being among migrant and non-migrant families in the Philippines. We analyze data collected in two waves of in-depth interviews. In the first wave (2008-2009), we interviewed 40 high-school aged children in order to compare the experiences of those from households in which one or both parents were overseas with households that have remained intact in the Philippines. The second wave of data was collected in March – July 2013, and captured half of the same children interviewed five years earlier. In this analysis, we seek to understand the impact parents’ overseas migration has had upon the lives of children who remain behind in the Philippines.