The Contribution of Remittances: a Tacit Knowledge of Parenting Capacity in Families of Migrant Workers in East Lombok, Indonesia

Global developments make the migration of workers abroad unavoidable. Using the UNICEF child protection and welfare framework, this study provides a tacit knowledge on how remittances contribute to parenting capacity in the families of male migrant workers. A qualitative approach, with participant observation and in-depth interviews, was conducted in East Lombok District to collect the data which then was analyzed through inductive axial coding. The study showed that the remittance pattern was largely determined by the father’s work. Remittances did not always contribute to the children’s welfare. However, the family’s stability and the fulfillment of the mother’s emotional needs determined the fulfilment of the child’s needs; therefore, the parenting capacity in family life increases. The interaction between family stability, maternal emotional needs, and remittances supplied by the father contribute to the fulfillment of the child’s developmental needs including basic care, emotional warmth, and child guidance.