Older Parents in Romania as a Resource for their Migrant Adult Children

Abstract

We investigate the flows of downward solidarity, from older parents living in Romania to their migrant adult children. In our approach we combine the solidarity paradigm with specificities brought by literature which address issues of geographical distance, mobility, and transnationalism. We investigate how opportunities and needs of both parents and migrant adult children, their family structure and contextual factors influence the provision of direct support in situations of copresence or from a distance. We focus on older parents in home country and work with the data collected through a national survey of persons aged 60 and over with at least one child abroad. Our results show that parents’ good health and younger age are indispensable for provision of support to their migrant children, especially when it involves travelling abroad. The family structures of both generations and the accessibility of the migration country for visits are also important factors.