Family dynamics in Filipino transnational families: the role of non-migrant mothers

Since the 1970s, large-scale Filipino migration has led to the long-term absence and global dispersal of family members, giving rise to Filipino transnational families. This separation affects family stability and interpersonal relationships, yet many families maintain strong bonds across borders. However, the crucial role of non-migrant mothers in sustaining family cohesion often remains overlooked. To address this gap, this descriptive study explores the following: (1) the roles of non-migrant mothers in maintaining family cohesion in overseas Filipino worker (OFW) families and (2) the dynamics of communication and emotional support between Filipino non-migrant mothers, children, and their OFW husbands. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 non-migrant mothers who have OFW husbands in the Philippines, the findings highlight the central position of mothers in maintaining a sense of family hood. The study shows that non-migrant mothers act as moral gatekeepers, embodying ideals of intensive motherhood within traditional Filipino family values to avoid social scrutiny and adhere to expectations of maternal responsibility. In addition to caregiving, they also serve as mediators in the father-child relationship, facilitating their husbands' symbolic presence and enabling migrant fathers to remain influential figures in their children's lives. However, this mediating role simultaneously reproduces mediated patriarchy. By sustaining the father's authority from afar, non-migrant mothers enable forms of surveillance over daily family life and financial management that extend beyond migrant fathers' direct involvement in co-parenting. At the same time, mothers frequently assume co-provider roles, although their capacity to do so varies-from survival-level contributions to significant economic participation-reflecting differences in socioeconomic positioning. How mothers make sense of their labor force participation and financial contributions, in turn, shapes their perceived authority within the family vis-à-vis their OFW husbands. The study further underscores the contradictory role of transnational communication. On the one hand, it is essential for emotional connection and interactional adjustment, which helps preserve a sense of family hood across distance. Positioned at the center of OFW families, non-migrant mothers function as key conduits between migrant fathers and children. On the other hand, particularly in households where mothers are full-time caregivers, transnational communication can reinforce mediated patriarchy by sustaining paternal oversight. Grounded in family systems theory, this study highlights the indispensable yet ambivalent role of non-migrant mothers in maintaining family cohesion within Filipino transnational families.