New release - Migration and Intergenerational Solidarity: Evidence from Rural Thailand

As part of the Papers in Population Ageing series, the UNFPA Country Technical Services Team (CST) based in Bangkok and UNFPA country office in Thailand recently issued Migration and Intergenerational Solidarity: Evidence from Rural Thailand, the second publication in that series.

Based on a study funded mainly by the Thailand Research Fund and conducted by a team of experts from Chulalongkorn University, the publication examines the impact of out-migration from rural areas in Thailand, in particular on the maintenance of relationships among family members of different generations.

Amongst other interesting findings, the publication makes it clear that “contrary to alarmist views promoted by the mass media and some advocacy groups in Thailand, migration of adult children has not led to widespread desertion of rural elderly”.

“Very few rural elderly have lost all contact with all their children and been left to fend for themselves”, the publication notes. “Moreover, children who have moved to urban areas, especially to Bangkok are more likely to provide significant remittances than children who migrate to elsewhere in Thailand”. Overall the generational disconnect is to some extent offset by relatively regular contact by mobile phones, which are on the increase.

The publication is available online from http://cst.bangkok.unfpa.org/.