Renegotiating the Care of Children and the Elderly in the Context of Family Migration: Transnational Arrangements and Entangled Inequalities Between Peru and Italy
Maribel was the first of seven siblings to emigrate from Lima, Peru, to Italy in the early 1990s. Soon after migrating she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Cintia. Because of her job as a home based caregiver for the elderly she was unable to care for her daughter and decided to send her to Peru, where she was taken care of by Maribel's sister Carmen and their mother until being reunited with Maribel at the age of six. In the meantime, Maribel found a more stable job in a transport company. Her marriage to her first partner, an Italian citizen, allowed her to obtain Italian citizenship and improve her socioeconomic conditions. Over time she got divorced, created a new family with a Peruvian migrant, and had two more children. During this period, Maribel encouraged several siblings, including Carmen, to join her in Italy. Recently she has taken the steps necessary to bring over her mother in law as well. Only in this way has Maribel been able to continue working outside the home, including at weekends, while Carmen supported her in caring for her children. With the money she earned in Italy, Maribel has financially supported not only her children but also her parents left behind in Peru and has managed to save enough money to buy a plot of land and a building of her own in Lima, to which she expects to return in the future.