Child-Parent Separations among Senegalese Migrants to Europe: Migration Strategies or Cultural Arrangements?

摘要

We use the MAFE Project data to examine the incidence and duration of childparentudseparations among Senegalese migrants, as well as the determinants of child-parentudreunification. Our findings indicate that approximately one-sixth of the Senegalese childrenudin our sample had been separated from their parents due to parental migration to Europe.udThese separations are relatively long, especially if the absent parent is the father.udReunification of Senegalese migrant parents with their children is infrequent, both in Senegaludand Europe. However, the location where reunification occurs is important, as it is associatedudwith markedly different family types. Parents who end separations by returning to Senegaludbelong to families that clearly depart from the Western nuclear model, whereas Senegaleseudfamilies in which parents decided to bring their children to Europe are closer to Westernudfamily arrangements.