The Dual Nature of Family Ties: Evidence from a Best-Worst Scaling Study in Rural Senegal

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 14: Family, Relationships, and the Life Course

Abstract

Migration research has increasingly recognized the importance of understanding why people stay, not just why they leave. Using Best-Worst Scaling methodology with ~1,000 rural Senegalese men who intend to remain in their villages, we examine the relative importance of different reasons for staying. Our findings reveal that family-related factors dominate all other considerations but distinguish two distinct mechanisms: social attachments (the desire to live close to family/friends) and family responsibilities (obligations to care for family). While both rank as the most important reasons for staying, they represent different dimensions of family ties—one rooted in emotional bonds and social support, the other in duty and obligation. Economic considerations, pride of place, information constraints, religious factors, and risk perceptions play comparatively minor roles. These findings extend recent theoretical work on family ties and migration (Mulder 2018) by empirically demonstrating the multidimensional nature of family influences. They also contribute to global and comparative analyses of staying preferences (Debray et al. 2023) by clarifying how family operates as a "retain factor," discouraging migration aspirations. Our results challenge simplistic notions of family as a singular force in migration decision-making and highlight the need for more nuanced theorizations of how kinship networks shape spatial mobility and immobility.

Authors

• Kerilyn Schewel, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

• Niklas Murken

• Jasper Tjaden