Child fostering and maternal migration in sub-Saharan Africa

Cassandra Cotton

Population Studies, 2025, vol. 79, issue 1, 59-80

Abstract: Rising feminization of migration has resulted in substantial flows of women migrating in Africa, increasing the importance of migration in women’s lives. Although child fostering is an enduring feature of family life throughout Africa, few studies have examined the role that maternal migration may play in these arrangements. I use Demographic and Health Survey data from 24 African countries to explore associations between maternal migration experience and fostering out of children aged 0–17, focusing on maternal migrant status, migrant stream, motivation, and timing of migration relative to births of children, to explore potential disruption introduced by migration. Results suggest that maternal migration disrupts mother–child co-residence, with greater fostering among children of migrant mothers, particularly rural–urban migrants. Children born before migration display the highest probability of fostering, consistently across migrant streams. These results suggest a need for greater attention to the impacts of maternal migration for children’s living arrangements, particularly as migration flows become increasingly feminized.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2024.2435312

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