Family Ties and Economic Stability Concerns of Migrant Labour Families in Jordan
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1991.tb01040.x |
| Date | 01 December 1991 |
| Published date | 01 December 1991 |
Family Ties and Economic Stability Concerns
of
Migrant
Labour
Families in Jordan
M.
S.
KAMIAR
*
and
H.
F.
ISMAIL
**
Migration is an essential key to the interrelationships between population change,
economic condition, and regional development. It causes and
is
affected by local
populations and socioeconomic conditions. Potential conflicts arise because migration
can influencc the growth prospects of both sending and receiving regions. Individual
migrants cannot be conceived of as rational actors maximizing interests under market
forces. By and large “the flow
of
labor is directed by supermarket institutions beyond
the control of an individual or a group of migrants” (Burawoy, 1976,
p.
1051).
In the Middle East, labor migration from poor to rich oil-producing countries has
become more important in the region’s present socioeconomic conditions. Including
family members
of
the migrant workers, the lives and well-being of more than 10 million
people are highly affected by this process. Many studies have been conducted pertaining
to various economic consequences
of
labor migration in this region, but little attention
has been paid to the social consequences of labor migration.
Jordan is a unique example
of
a Third World country that is highly dependent on
exporting labor. For example, the number
of
professional institutions in Jordan has
increased by more than three times between the late 1960s and early
1980s
to meet the
demand for skilled workers. These institutions help workers to find
jobs
abroad. By the
mid-l980s, more than
40%
of the Jordanian labor force was working abroad and more
than
30%
of
Jordan’s national income came from remittances (Ibrahim, 1983); labor
migration
is
the most critical and potentially explosive development and yet
it
is least
studied (Burki, 1983; Kifner and Miller, 1985).
The purpose of this paper is
to
study social consequences
of
labor migration on
families
in
Jordan. Particularly, changes in family ties and concern about economic
stability as perceived by migrant families are the main focus. After presenting the
conceptual framework, data, and methodology, results are presented for both non-
accompanied families (NAFS) and accompanied families
(AFS).
Finally, the findings
for both types of families are compared and some concluding remarks are given.
~ ~
*
Department
of
Social and Behavioral Sciences, Florida Community College, Jacksonville
(U.S
.
A.).
**
Advanced College
for
Teacher
Certification, Amman (Jordan).
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