‘He Has a Better Chance Here, So We Stay’. Children’s Education and Parental Migration Decisions

Abstract

AbstractIn our chapter we take the concept of agency and apply it to migrants’ search for a safe present and a good future for their children, who face the global challenges of living in a risk society. Our analysis draws on biographical, semi-structured interviews conducted with Polish migrants living in the capital area of Norway. The findings of our research show that, although the labour market and good living conditions are important for Polish migrants while taking migration decisions, it is their children’s education that frequently transforms a temporary stay into a permanent one. We argue that Polish migrant parents adopt the strategy of ‘purchasing’ education, which they consider to be more beneficial due to the principles and values of the Norwegian welfare state (especially equality and educational support). In our research we found that the interviewees consider a Norwegian education as a ‘currency’, a credential in the sense that it will give their children access to further studies and/or better jobs. We focus on the migrant strategies, which often take the character of ‘escaping forward’ in an attempt to increase the life chances of their children.