Assessing the effects of out-migration on those left behind in Senegal: local family dynamics between change and continuity

Nathalie Mondain, Université d'Ottawa

In many West African countries an increasing number of communities are parts of international migration networks. Studies of the consequences of such migration have essentially focused on the impact of remittance flows on local economies and much less on the daily lives of those left behind, both the members of the migrant’s household of origin and the wider local community. Senegal is an interesting case with large households compared to other countries in the region and because of the strong patriarchal structure of its society where men play a central role in family dynamics. Drawing from a case study in a community located in the peanut basin heart of the Senegalese economic system, we use qualitative data collected in 1999 and 2007 to investigate how the intensive male out-migration has contributed to both changes in and reinforcement of traditional gender and intergenerational roles within households across time.