The culture of money and transnational family practices for Romanian care workers in Italy

This dissertation analyses the meaning(s) Romanian care workers in Italy, especially those in live-in employment, construct when deciding how to use money earned abroad. Departing from economistic approaches dominating the literature on remittances, this dissertation contributes to an understanding of how social relationships and economic exchanges are intertwined in family migration of marginalised, low-wage population. Drawing on ethnographic research carried out from April 2021 to May 2022 in the region of Veneto, Italy, this dissertation examines: (1) how is money embedded in the social relationships of migrant women; (2) how women experience and negotiate the social norms and collective expectations for monetary transfers in their transnational families; (3) and what are the ensuing consequences of these for the migration projects of women. Based on migrant women’s own narratives, the meanings assigned to money create three distinct ‘pieces of money’—each corresponding to different amounts, regularity of transfer, and types of commitments to relationships as the respondents feel and experience them. Firstly, ‘communal money’ transfers are dedicated to improving the living standards of ‘loved ones.’ It consists of a large percentage of women’s wages abroad and is distributed especially among one’s children and grandchildren. As a currency of solidarity, communal money keeps multi-generational families connected as they navigate unpredictable economic circumstances. Secondly, ‘courtesy money’ transfers are offered as a cash gift to extended family members ‘back home.’ It consists of small sums ritually integrated into yearly celebrations. As a currency of care and love, courtesy money becomes the materialisation of feelings and emotions. Thirdly, ‘pocket money’ are sums care workers set aside for their personal consumption in Italy. As a currency of sociability in Italy, pocket money appears to provide women with opportunities to help emancipate themselves from their class- and gender-subjugated conditions. Finally, this dissertation shows that older migrant women often postpone their return ‘home’ and continue to work abroad as they adapt to new care demands and respond to the changing needs and capacities of their families by (re-)adjusting their migration project when they realise that grandchildren do not need hands-on care; what they need is money. Consequently, this dissertation also considers how money is tied to distinct gendered and generational subjectivities of respondents. It explores how being a migrant mother and grandmother may be instantiated in the ways that money is used, saved, given, spent, valued, and experienced, and discusses the effect of these on migrant women’s migration projects. In essence, this dissertation reveals the multifaceted role of money beyond its economic value, highlighting its significance as a key medium for transnational family practice.