Fathering Within Transnational and Mixed-Status Mayan Families: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study explores fathering within a small sample of Mayan transnational and mixed-status families divided between the Northeastern United States and the Quiché region of Guatemala. A positive masculinities framework informs this theoretical thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 7 migrant fathers and 2 sons-as-fathers who were caring for younger siblings in Guatemala. Analyses sought to illuminate how the performances of fathering in the context of migration depart from and sometimes challenge hegemonic conceptions of masculinities evident in much of the migration scholarship. In total, 5 themes capturing varying performances of fathering were identified: (a) staying-at-home, (b) emotionally expressing cross-border relationality, (c) communicating within the family about return and consejos (conventional wisdom), (d) sons-as-fathers caring for family members here and there, and (e) maintaining the household intergenerationally. We discuss how the transnationalizing of these Mayan families has contributed to more diverse gendered roles and relationships, with a focus on some of the potential positive influences of this process on family relationships. Implications for future research about the various ways in which fathers and sons contribute to their transnational families, especially in difficult sociopolitical contexts, are discussed.