Children and Youth in the Context of International Mobility in Mexico

Silvia Giorguli-Saucedo, El Colegio de México
Edith Yolanda Gutiérrez-Vázquez, El Colegio de México

This paper explores the family, educational and labor conditions of children and adolescents living in Mexico that are exposed to international migration, grouped in seven categories: (1) those with no exposure to international migration; (2) in households with migration experience to US, (3) in households receiving remittances; (4) immigrants born in US living in Mexican households; (5) return migrants from US; (6) circular migrants; (7) immigrants from other countries. We analyze the recent trends on children and youth migration; the families they live in and the variations in the enrollment and labor status depending on the exposure to international migration. Using data from the 2010 Mexican Census sample, we run multinomial logistic regression models to estimate the probabilities of enrollment and working status for 12 to 18 years old adolescents by migration experience and sociodemographic characteristics. Our results show that international migration experiences mold differently the opportunities of adolescents in Mexico.