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Migraciones Internacionales e-ISSN: 2594-0279

Papers

Vol. 8 No. 28 (2015): January-June, 2015

Are all Dollars Equal? The Meanings Behind Migrants’ Financial Transfers

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17428/rmi.v8i1.587
Published
2016-11-18

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed analysis of financial remittances to families in rural Andean Ecuador. Five different types of transfers are identified and analyzed: family maintenance remittances, migrants’ savings, debt repayment, emergency money, and gift money. In each case, the dollars families receive as remittances have various meanings. In order to fully understand migrants’ money transfers to their families, the relationships between senders and receivers, which include mutual— and sometimes diverging—expectations and obligations, need to be taken into account. These relationships are complex, and shaped by gender, age, and kinship considerations.

Cover image

Keywords

  • remittances
  • transnational families
  • gender
  • Andes
  • Ecuador

How to Cite

MATA-CODESAL, D. (2016). Are all Dollars Equal? The Meanings Behind Migrants’ Financial Transfers. Migraciones Internacionales, 8(28), 39–64. https://doi.org/10.17428/rmi.v8i1.587
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