Left-behind men in Nicaragua: The rise of the Padre-Luchadores
Michael Stewart-Evans & Melissa Siegel
#2018-034
The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of women's
migration on the lives of the men left-behind. Based on a qualitative
research methodology the study consists of twenty interviews conducted
with men across three different areas in Nicaragua. These interviews
were used to understand changes to household decision making and how the
man perceives his own sense of masculinity. The results suggest that in
contrast to previous studies which have shown a reluctance of men to
partake in work traditionally associated with women, the men in this
study did not avoid partaking in domestic work or childcare. It was also
found that none of the men - even those in receipt of remittances -
stopped working and instead placed even greater symbolic importance on
their work, allowing them to maintain their identity as the main
breadwinner in the house. The study proposes that more work needs to be
done to better understand the challenges and changes faced by men (an
understudied group of the left-behind) as the number of women migrating
for work continues to rise.
Keywords: Migration, Gender, Left-behind, Masculinity, Machismo, Nicaragua
JEL Classification: F22, J13, J16