Maternal Migration and Child Fostering in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cassandra Cotton, Arizona State University

Increasing feminization of migration has resulted in substantial flows of female migration in Africa, increasing the importance of migration in women’s lives. Though child fostering is an enduring feature of family life throughout Africa, few studies examine the role that maternal migration may play in children’s living arrangements. I leverage Demographic and Health Survey data from 24 African countries to explore associations of maternal migration experience and fostering for children age 0-17, focusing on migrant status, stream, and timing of migration relative to children’s birth to explore potential disruption introduced by migration. Results suggest maternal migration disrupts mother-child co-residence, with greater fostering among children with migrant mothers, particularly rural-urban migrants. Children born before migration experience the highest probability of fostering, consistent across migrant stream. These results suggest need for greater attention on impacts of maternal migration for children’s living arrangements, particularly as flows of migration becoming increasingly feminized.