Family Functioning in Mexican Housewives when Couples Emigrate

Abstract

Mexico, among other countries, has had throughout history the highest rate of economic migrants towards the United States of America. In the 1970s, there were 879 thousand economic migrants (Zuñiga, 2004; INEGI, 2015). Nonetheless, in 2003 the number increased to 26.7 million including their descendants (Zuñiga, 2004; INEGI, 2015). Traditionally, the family man is the one who emigrates leaving his family in the home country. Therefore, how do housewives perceive family functioning when their partners have emigrated to the United States? In this study, family functioning was conceptualized in terms of the following: problem solving, communication, roles, affective involvement, affective responses and behavioral control. We chose the systemic theory approach to address the family functioning concept. This is qualitative, psychological phenomenological study of family functioning. We sampled 10 women from Tonatico, State of Mexico, whose partners were economic migrants in the US. As qualitative techniques, we used focus group and narrative inquiry. We found 14 family functioning themes. Out of these themes, 8 were associated with instrumental aspects and 6 with affective ones. Based on the partner’s departure, participants perceived family functioning as a continuous adjustment process, with affective and instrumental implications. We concluded that, in the Mexican context, the family man’s emigration has a severe impact on family functioning.

Keywords

• funcionamiento familiar, migración, amas de casa