Transcript The Continuing Economic Effects of Guatemalan migration to

By: Melissa Schroden
GLST 495: Senior Seminar Thesis Project Dr. Butenhoff
International migration in Latin America has
increased substantially since the second half of the
twentieth century. There are various factors that
influence this type of migration. Be it for economic,
social or political motives, these transnational
movements change the family at its core. The
purpose of this paper is to highlight the economical
and social changes that affect the family looking
more closely at the perspective of those who stay in
the country. The consequences span from the
economic advancement due to remittances to new
participatory roles for women. This essay will study
those effects in Guatemala as a result of its migratory
history and its key location in the Central American
migration processes.
With the current immigration laws and economic
factors people are being forced to leave their
home countries and travel to the United States,
but with the relocation from countries such as
Guatemala to the United States, there are many
untold stories of intended and un-intended
problems or consequences that happen within
the lives of these individuals. These personal
stories are important for the greater
understanding of what is going on both in the
United States and in Guatemala.
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variety of reasons such as:
◦ the corrupt government,
◦ economic strains due to it being largely an
agricultural country,
◦ violence,
◦ and lack of opportunities for families and
individuals alike.
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Split homes
Violence within the children's lives
Social and physiological problems throughout
their childhood
Parents in US have no family to rely on
◦ Live in homes with multiple other immigrants
◦ Do jobs in which they are over qualified
◦ Suffer from deep depression
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Publications in English and Spanish
Interviews with migrants from Guatemala
Gender Analysis combined with Social
Constructivist focus points
Looking at the changes in culture, traditions,
beliefs, and motivations of those who stay
behind in Guatemala – women and children
The untold stories of change due to
remittances
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Evaluating the economic effects of migration
Through having to take care of the house, the
family, and the economic development of their
futures, women are forced to locate many new
strengths within themselves to survive and take
care of their children while the men are gone.
Women are forced to take on a nontraditional
role, becoming more of a masculine member of
the family
The interests that women have in common may
be determined as much by their social position or
their ethnic identity as by the fact that they are
women (Ministry of Women's Affairs, n.d.)
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Easterly (2001) explains that gender equity is
more than both sexes being treated equally, it
takes into consideration that differences in
women’s and men’s lives and recognizes that
different approaches may be needed to produce
outcomes that are equitable.
However, through the process of understanding
these concepts a few questions must be
answered first.
◦ How have the traditional labor roles been changed within
the female’s lives that are left behind in Guatemala?
◦ What affects do these changes have on the society?
◦ And, how have those who left Guatemala been affected
by the changes that took place while they were gone?
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Kelan – women and men in non-traditional
occupations is clearly not the only example of
gender being undone at work
◦ Considerable flexibility in what is termed masculine
and feminine
◦ Manufacturing sectors
◦ Impact of Globalization
◦ In developing counties, greater openness to trade is
generally linked to an increase in the proportion of
paid workers who are female. However, this change
has not been accompanied by increased job
security, as more jobs are casual, temporary, and
flexible in nature (Angeles & Hill, 2009) (Caballeros,
2010) (Fontana & Rodgers, 2005) (Kelan, 2010).
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The short-term gender effects of this will be on
bargaining power within the household, but the
longer-term effects on the woman’s access to
the labor market may be much more serious,
especially if she finds herself on her own later in
life (Himmelweit, 2002).
“In searching for ways to improve economic
performance and growth, many governments
have begun to perceive that a range of what were
previously considered social issues, such as child
care and the unequal employment opportunities
of women, are vital to any strategy of increasing
employment and productivity” (Himmelweit,
2002).
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Gender inequalities are observable in several
aspects of economic life as Angels and Hill
(2009) state employment segregation in the labor
market, division of labor between paid and
unpaid work, distribution of resources within
households, and access to public services.
Women are often more likely to be malnourished,
less educated and overworked relative to men.
They are more vulnerable to fall into, and remain
in poverty than men; due to this once the man of
the house leaves the women’s role within the
nuclear family also changes.
The starting point to massive
migration
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Guatemala, like many of the countries in Central
America,
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the political instability,
low employment opportunities,
the high levels of violence and delinquency,
natural catastrophes,
and other economic problems.
According to official figures, 52 percent of
Guatemala’s 13.3 million people live in conditions of
poverty or extreme poverty (UNIECF, 2010).
◦ Of the 52 percent living in poverty, 79 percent of these
people are indigenous (UNIECF, 2010).
◦ Malnutrition, poor education, and poor housing are a few
of the main problems that plague much of the country
today (UNIECF, 2010).
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It is estimated that every year between 6,000
and 12,000 Guatemalans cross the border
between Mexico and the United States (Smith,
2006).
close to one million Guatemalans reside in
the United States, either under legal or illegal
status (Lipsica & Makinen, 2010).
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large amounts of agricultural work available
throughout Latin America
Guatemala decided to open itself up to
modernization and transform itself
economically to a capitalist economy later
than many other Latin American countries
(Koser, 2007).
the redistribution of its land
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1960-1996
Human rights violations forced many to leave
as refuges to Mexico, Canada, and the United
States
Biggest hit = murder of Jacob Abernz (1954)
◦ First president elected through democratic practices
◦ Tried to make the agricultural reform reality
Problems were
• United Fruit Company (2% owning 70% of the land)
• US and the cold war mentality decided that
Guatemala was Communist in nature (President
Eisenhower)
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Those 80 years were of extreme violence inflicted on by
the U.S. CIA and the Guatemalan government, and forced
thousands of Guatemalans to migrate as refuges; these
were the consequences to the political constraints on the
people, selective assignations, collective assignations,
forced disappearances, massacres, and complete
destruction of many communities (Roberts, 2010).
Olmos showed this clearly, “the armed conflicts caused a
strong wave of migration to the North and a considerable
amount of people migrating as political refuges” (Olmos,
2003).
These kinds of population movement are most damaging
to the families that are in the lower economic classes and
are a part of the indigenous groups within Guatemala.
In total it is estimated that 400,000 Guatemalans left the
country (Smith, 2006).
However once the country calmed down in 1996, a
significant number of Guatemalans returned to their home
land.
Table 1
Emigration, 2010
Stock of emigrants:
87.9 thousand
Stock of emigrants as % of population:
6.10%
Top Destination Countries: the United States, Mexico, Belize,
Canada, El Salvador, Spain, Costa Rica, Honduras, France, Nicaragua
Skilled emigration, 2010
Emigration rate of tertiary-educated population: 24.20%
Emigration of physicians:
606 or 5.6% of physicians trained in Guatemala
Immigration, 2010
Stock of immigrants: 59.5 thousand
Stock of immigrants as a % of population: 0.4%
Female as % of immigrants: 54.4%
Refuges as percentage of immigrants: 0.6%
Information obtained through migration and remittances fact book 2011
Table 2
Guatemala
Lower Middle Income Level
Population (Millions 2009)
14
Population Growth (average annual 5 2000-09)
2.5
Population Density (people per km2, 2008)
126.1
Labor force (millions, 2008)
4.9
Unemployment Rate (% of labor force, 2008)
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Urban population (% of population, 2009)
49
Surface Area (1,000 km2, 2008)
108.9
GNI (US$ Billions, 2009)
35.6
GNI Per capita (US$, 2009)
2,620
GDP growth (average annual %, 2005-2009)
3.9
Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Line
(% of population, 2005)
13.1
Average dependency Ratio (2009)
86.1
*Information obtained from Migration and Remittances Fact book 2011
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The majority of these people cross the border
from Mexico to the United States reside in
◦ Los Angeles with 32.3 %,
◦ New York with 10.2%, and
◦ Miami with 7.8% (International Organization for
Migration, 2003).
The majority (70%) of the people who cross the
border are between the ages of 15 and 29 years
old.
 53.8% elementary levels of education (International
Organization for Migration, 2003).
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The very roots of the Guatemalan family have
been ever changed due to the migration
patterns today.
The changes have been enormous enough to
require a new conceptual definition of family
life in Guatemala.
◦ transnational family, has recently been born due to
the massive amounts of transnational migration
taking place; it is described as, a phenomenon that
the migrants maintain and promote relations in the
country of their new residence, their native home
land, and local communities (Bhagwati, 2007)
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Foner (2009) completely and specifically
through these tendencies through higher
levels being in their private and personal
lives, explained as a family that has
immediate family members living in multiple
countries simultaneously and they maintain
communication and feel like a united family,
they have exchanges of money and services
leaving them with a circulating physical
presence.
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The remittances can be defined as “transfers
of money or the amount of accumulated
money that the individual immigrants send
back to their countries of origin” (Collier,
2007).
2008 estimated $283 billion in remittances
2004 Guatemala was the country who
received the largest portion of remittances in
Central America – 3.700 million dollarswhich represents 12% of its GDP
Inward flow of Remittances To Guatemala
4,500
4,000
US$ Millions
3,500
3,000
2,500
Total Inward remittances flows
2,000
workers remmitances
1,500
compensation of employees
1,000
500
0
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Outward flow of Remittances to Guatemala
100
US $ Millions
80
60
Total Outward flows
40
workers remmitances
20
compensation of
0
employees
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they are sending back enough money to build
houses, educate their children, and in some
cases build businesses for their return (De La
Torre, 2009)
their responsibility as well to work and send
remittances back to the rest of the family
members in Guatemala to build the houses,
businesses, and other forms of physical
capital, thus increasing the quantity of
remittances sent to Guatemala (Hagan, 1994).
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Because Guatemala is a developing country
and they do not have a stable currency, they
must pay very close attention to the rate of
the day
rates (for 3/1/2011) are $1 US = 8.06050 Q
GUATE, or 1Q= $0.124062 (XE, 2010).
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in reference to the changes within the social society
of those who are left behind in Guatemala.
◦ include the grouping of ideas, cultures, education, and
practices that come from the destination country to the
country of origin
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more specifically defined as the changes within the
performances and adaptations within the family and
community in Guatemala, starting with their homes,
the food they consume, their relationships in general,
technology, work, and the cultural changes in what
they eat, music, clothing, rituals, and changes in the
forms of social organizations, political, and the
practice of democracy and justice (Levitt, 1998)
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the waves of migration are directly related to the
economic, political, and social events that have
taken place throughout the history of Guatemala,
and continue to impact their ways of life.
Through these opportunities of migration the
people are able to help their families by sending
large quantities of money back as remittances.
helping the family advance both socially and
economically through having physical capital;
GNI and personal wealth goes up in Guatemala