Impact of migration to the UK on Lithuanian family relationship – 15 years on. Case study.

• In Event: Migration from the Baltic States

Abstract

Parents often immigrate to increase their financial status and improve opportunities for themselves and their families. Frequently, they leave their children in their country of origin, to be raised by family members. Reunification with their children often occurs at the time of adolescence and, for many reasons, is often characterised by conflict, which sometimes necessitates the involvement of social services and other agencies (Lashley, 2000; Arnold, 2006).
Migration affects all age groups and especially teenagers when they are at a period of their identity search and have very strong feelings of attachment when having to leave familiar environments. Who are they going to be in a foreign country? What will happen to their already built relationships?
Uzkuraite (2006) compares children’s feelings of separation and confusion to feelings a child may experience after their parents’ divorce. It may lead to emotional problems and if they are prolonged may result in depression, severe behavioural problems, drugs, and sex addiction.
This paper is a continuation of my PhD titled: Impact of migration to the UK on Lithuanian family relationships. Here I reintroduce the case of a mother and daughter, who 15 years ago had a very turbulent relationship due to their migration to the UK. This paper discusses what happened to them next, and whether leaving Lithuania and migrating to the UK had a lasting impact on their mother-daughter relationships. I look at their past challenges, and experiences and compare them with their current situation 15 years on.

Short Bio

Ausrine Bremner has received her PhD in Social sciences From De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. Her research was on Lithuanian migration experiences in the UK and its effect on family relationships.
At the moment Ausrine is teaching sociology and runs a Research hub at Brooke House College in Market Harborough, UK. Her main interest remains migration to the UK and its effect on international students and their families. Along with teaching and supervising students, Ausrine has also started her own research - “15 years on” by looking at the case studies of her initial PhD research on Lithuanian family relationships effected by migration to the UK. She is revisiting stories of her primary respondents and analysing their lives since their first interviews 15 years ago.
It has been a while since Ausrine took part in an academic gathering therefore with a great anticipation she is looking forward to networking, meeting fellow academics, listening, and getting inspired by the prominent speakers.

Author

• Ausrine Bremner, Brooke House College