Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with the situation of 'left-behind' men within the context of female labour migration in Western Ukraine. Gendered caring practices and local discourses on gender norms thereby contribute significantly to the 'invisibility' of men as providers of care within these networks.

Paper long abstract:

Since the early 2000s, due to increasing poverty and unemployment in connection with a supposed 'care crisis' in the West, more and more women from rural areas in Western Ukraine leave their homes to work as caregivers or domestic aid in central or southern Europe in order to contribute to the livelihood of their families. Frequently, they leave their children and families behind. Based on ethnographic data from fieldwork in a local community in Western Ukraine, the proposed paper deals with the situation of 'left-behind' men and their roles as husbands, fathers, sons, and grandchildren. Previous research on the effects of female labour migration has primarily focused on the absence of women and mothers and the central role ascribed to them regarding emotional and material care for family members 'left behind'. Analytically, I consider this focus on the perspectives of women insofar as problematic, as the 'naturalisation' of motherhood and related care expectations and responsibilities overshadow other actors who might be equally important in the provision of care. Based on current anthropological approaches at the intersection of care, gender and kinship, the paper emphasizes re-arrangements of care practices within the context of female labour migration. The focus thereby lies on men's roles as care givers within complex networks of care and support, suggesting that gendered caring practices and local discourses on gender norms contribute significantly, both to the exclusion of men from different forms of care, and to their 'invisibility' as providers of care within these networks.