Irregular Migration and Transnational Family Insecurities

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores how men’s irregular migration from the coastal community of Munnakkara in Negombo, Sri Lanka, to Europe reshapes the everyday lives of families left behind. The study is situated within the social and economic context of post-2022 Sri Lanka. It focuses on household insecurities among families where men initially migrated legally to Eastern European countries but later moved through irregular routes to Western and Southern Europe due to changing conditions. The study is guided by interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from Global Studies, Migration Studies, Sociology, and Gender Studies. Using a qualitative research design based on nine semi-structured in-depth interviews, a focus group discussion, and ethnographic observation, the research explores how irregular migration affects migrant-sending households. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the findings reveal a central paradox of irregular migration. Although migration is pursued as a strategy for economic stability, it often reproduces and intensifies financial insecurity, emotional distress, and gendered burdens within transnational households during the initial years. Women assume increased caregiving and financial responsibilities, while children experience the effects of prolonged paternal absence in different ways. By focusing on the lived experiences of migrant-sending households, the study highlights the hidden social and emotional costs of irregular migration beyond dominant economic narratives. The study underlines the importance of policy interventions that strengthen psychosocial support, social protection, and institutional assistance for migrant-sending households in Sri Lanka.