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Remittances: The Impact on Families in Armenia

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Abstract

Armenian families have a long history of receiving remittances. Currently remittances are a major component of the Armenian economy and have a significant impact on families. Utilizing the results of in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in the capital city of Yerevan, this article examined how remittances affected the lives, well-being, and family relationships of the people who received them. As families managed without their migrant family members, they developed systems and routines that helped them cope with the absence. In addition, they utilized networks of social capital that allowed them to persist despite significant interpersonal challenges. Insights from this study will inform specialists who serve migrant families, helping them better understand what their clients are experiencing and enabling them to provide strength-based approaches.

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Notes

  1. All dollar values in this study are in US currency.

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Acknowledgements

A special thanks to the social work students at the University of Connecticut and Yerevan State University for their research assistance.

Funding

This study was funded by the Norian Fund. The Norian Fund is awarded to the University of Connecticut to be used for cultural exchange and educational expansion.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA

    Rebecca L. Thomas & Lisa Yagaloff

  2. Department of Social Work and Social Technologies, Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia

    Yevgine Vardanyan

  3. Always Here Home Care, Boston, MA, USA

    Rebekah Diamond

Authors
  1. Rebecca L. Thomas
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  2. Yevgine Vardanyan
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  3. Lisa Yagaloff
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  4. Rebekah Diamond
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebecca L. Thomas.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Rebecca L. Thomas, Yevgine Vardanyan, Lisa Yagaloff and Rebekah Diamond declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendix A

Appendix A

Sample Interview Guide

  • Is your family member a seasonal worker or a permanent migrant?

  • What is your relationship to the family member with whom you receive the remittances from (i.e. spouse, child, sibling, son/daughter-in-law, parent or grandchild)?

  • Why did your family member go abroad?

  • How often do you receive remittances (money/goods)?

  • Approximately how many drams or US dollars do you receive?

  • Was there a plan to remit money before your family member left?

  • How has your role changed over the time that your family member has been away?

  • What roles have you taken on in the absence of the remitter?

  • What has been the biggest struggle for your family while this member has been abroad working?

  • When the remitter returns home after work (which often happens for seasonal workers), what challenges, if any, do you face during that time?

  • Who makes decisions on what to spend the remittances you get from your family member abroad?

  • Does the remitter participate in the decision-making process?

  • How does receiving the remittance impact your life in Armenia?

  • Have you ever encountered any problems while receiving money from abroad?

  • What suggestions do you have to improve the process of sending remittance home?

  • Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your experiences?

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Thomas, R.L., Vardanyan, Y., Yagaloff, L. et al. Remittances: The Impact on Families in Armenia. J Fam Econ Iss 39, 634–646 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-018-9580-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-018-9580-9

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