The Impact of Migration on the Lives of Women Left Behind in Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

Mexican migration to the United States has become a pressing concern subject to widespread debate. Border and migration policies have complicated family lives in rural Mexico, leaving some family members to migrate north while others are left behind. As the husbands of women in communities near Puebla, Mexico migrate to the US, they are increasingly given the unfamiliar role of becoming the head of their house-hold. There has not been much research that examines the unique pressures that this role brings. This project examined the challenges and coping strategies women face in this situation during health emergencies, and the role of social media in maintaining strong family ties across international borders. This research calls upon the narratives of women struggling to survive on their own while also attempting to maintain the standards required of marianismo in Mexican society. The research is based on a small number of semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted in rural areas of Puebla, Mexico about demography, migration, social media Health emergencies; and other challenges and Coping Strategies. Results portrayed a nuanced view of women's struggle between family and work life that suggested the beginnings of change in women's role in traditional, rural Mexican society. Women who could afford to stay at home often had a negative perception of women who needed to work, and vice versa. Women found work and social support to be helpful coping mechanisms. Common challenges were relationship maintenance, single parenting, health emergencies, and coping with feelings of abandonment. Social media often added to these feelings of abandonment.