Migration, Remittances, and Elderly Well-Being in Mexico

Shawn Malia Kanaiaupuni, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Carey Faulkner, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Demographic change in past decades has brought Mexico the present dilemma of a rapidly aging population and few social services for needy families and individuals. This paper examines social support patterns and family living arrangements of the elderly in Mexico to explore how processes associated with internal and international labor migration affect elderly health and well-being. We use panel data of households in ten Mexican communities from 1996 to 1999 from the Health and Migration Survey (HMS) to assess shifts in household structure, headship status, and migration over time. These data contain information relating to migrant remittances, elderly health status, and social support and networks that enables us to examine questions challenging most analyses of elderly living arrangements. This research will provide greater understanding of elderly health and well-being in Mexico and the impact of migration on traditional expectations of family-care for the elderly.