Towards a theoretical model for the study of productive and reproductive strategies in transnational families: Latin American migration and social mobility in Spain

This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Journal of Family Studies. Oso, L., Suárez-Grimalt, L. (2018). Towards a theoretical model for the study of productive and reproductive strategies in transnational families: Latin American migration and social mobility in Spain. Journal of Family Studies, 24 (1), p. 41-58 https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2017.1374202]. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.[Abstract] The aim of this article is to study the transnational social mobility strategies, focusing on the interaction between reproductive and productive strategies, of Latin American migrant households in Spain. We have created an analysis model based on the assessment of the differentiated strategic investments of transnational families in terms of four types of resources or assets: physical and financial; educational; social and emotional. Our intention is to trace variations in strategic behaviour in accordance with the migrants’ family generation (grandparents, parents, children,) their migratory position (pioneering or regrouped migrants, family members remaining in the country of origin, etc.) and their family situation. A longitudinal approach has been adopted, in order to analyse the changes in social and spatial mobility strategies throughout the course of the migratory process, using biographical narratives and multi-situated fieldwork carried out in Spain with Latin American immigrants (Brazilians and Ecuadorians), as well as in certain countries of origin (Ecuador).This research work, as well as the English editing of the text, was funded by the following research projects: “Gender, Transnationalism and inter-generational strategies of social mobility” (FEM2011-26110; Oso, dir. 2011) and “Gender Crossed Mobilities and Transnational Dynamics” (FEM2015-67164-R, Oso, dir. 2015), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. It was also partly funded by the Xunta de Galicia: Programa de Consolidación e Estructuración de Unidades de investigación competitivas do Sistema Universitario de Galicia (GRC2014/048; Oso, dir. 2014-2017). The paper is also part of the of the authors’ contribution to INCASI (the International Network for Comparative Analysis of Social Inequalities), a European project financed by the Horizon 2020 programme (RISE action, GA 691004, http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/200034_en.html) coordinated by Pedro López-Roldán (Autonomous University of Barcelona).Xunta de Galicia; GRC2014/04