PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Recently, social inequalities at the intersection of migration and care became a highly debated topic. This article contributes to existing literature on social inequalities in migration and care by going beyond debates about ‘care drains’ and ‘care chains’. I argue that distinct features of social inequalities in transnational social spaces are overlooked when not taking into account the ‘symbolic’ dimension of care, work and migration. I investigate ways and processes of task division within transnational families, who are involved in caring for and about each oth-er within and across borders, from the lens of social classifications, understood as systems of knowledge and perceptions which are generated in and guide social interactions. 20 inter-views with migrants from Poland in Germany and 10 interviews with their significant others in Poland reveal that in transnational spaces, classifications are guided by structures of (at least) two countries, which may interrelate, producing new classifications and also reproduc-ing older ones. I show how meanings of work and care are affected by migration, causing inequalities in access to resources and life chances alongside heterogeneities, such as ethnici-ty, gender and generation.