Bordering of family and the social care of migrant farmworkers: men’s gendered experiences of the global care chain

This article explores how family separation, enforced by destination countries’ bordering practices, denies the humanity of men migrant workers and places them in a situation of both family and social care deficit when they experience illness, loneliness or other personal difficulties while abroad. Drawing on semi-structured interviews in two studies about the social rights of migrant workers to Canada, we illustrate our arguments with two case studies of Guatemalan agricultural workers who experienced major health problems necessitating care. Given the impossibility of being joined by their families and their barriers to accessing social care in Canada, their care deficit was acutely evident. We conclude with a discussion of how examining the care needs of men migrant workers can advance our understanding of the global care chain from an expanded gender perspective and provide a basis for advocacy to abolish immigration policies that place borders within families and keep migrants outside the borders of social care.