Children greet their mother as they come home from school: families bank on education as a vehicle for social mobility, but since the 1970s, another route to a better life has been opened — overseas migration.

THE POTENTIAL impact resulting from international labor migration has been the subject of much speculation. The separation of family members is in itself a transgression of the ideal of close family ties. This seeming "contradiction" can be understood when we consider the motivations of Filipino migrants: migration is something that they have to undertake to improve their family's well-being. When it was mostly the men who took up jobs abroad, their departure was seen as part of their role as providers. When women started leaving, their migration challenged the ideal of stay-at-home mothers who serve as the light of the home (ilaw ng tahanan). Moreover, their ascendance as the primary provider has shaken traditional notions of women's earnings as simply supplementary. Because of their traditional role as the primary caregiver, when women migrate, the family goes through more adjustments than when it is fathers who migrate. In some instances, the departure of mothers has led to fathers assume caregiving responsibilities; more commonly, however, other female family members take on the caregiving function.

Changes in gender roles, the meaning of family and practices of family life, husband-wife relations, and the relationship between parents and children have been noted in our recently concluded study on the children and families left behind. At the same time, some things remain unchanged. Even if they are physically separated, the importance of the family has not diminished among migrants and their families. Children continue to regard their parents as their role models. The access to cheaper and faster communication — and the popularity of cell phones — is a major boon in sustaining family ties across the miles.

More families will continue to be separated by migration, partly because of persisting economic difficulties, and partly because the vast networks of Filipinos abroad will be a major factor in facilitating migration. The seeds of migration are already part of the life plans of young children. In our nationwide study of children aged eight to 10, 47 percent (and 60 percent among the children of migrant workers) said they would like to work abroad someday. Filipino networks, of which the "transnational network of kin" is an important component, will continue to be established in different parts of the world, sustaining and generating further migrations.

	Family life is changing, with the roles of father and mother being redefined and with family members using communication technologies instead of face-to-face encounters to reach out to each other.

IN MANY ways, the emerging forms of family arrangements and role realignments observed among the families of overseas Filipino workers are not unique to this sector. Nonmigrant families are also going through similar transitions, except that the triggers are factors other than migration. It is perhaps in the area of changing gender relations that migrant families are showing some groundbreaking examples by suggesting that it is possible for men to be caregivers, that women can be providers and mothers at the same time (although the latter role is played out from a distance), and that children can be cared for by other family members. Although these changes are underway, the idea that parents are the best persons to care for and rear children persists; in particular, mothers continue to be regarded as irreplaceable in their role as the "light of the home." This will be a source of burden and guilt for mothers who have to take on the role of providers and a source of emotional displacement for the children.

In the years to come, Filipino families will depart more and more from the ideal of the nuclear family consisting of two parents and their children. Marital strains and to some extent, personal choice, will give rise to more single-parent families and "blended" families (i.e., families formed by partners who had previous relationships or marriages). Through these reconfigurations, it is likely that the extended family will continue to play a major role in seeing family members through the rough spots. It will be a long time before the family, in its various forms, ceases to be the first and last — and preferred — safety net of ordinary Filipinos.

Practices of family life are in for many changes. As work demands intrude more into personal and family time, families will have to try harder or devise new ways to be family. As we are seeing now, technology — particularly communications technology — will contribute to cement family ties as Filipinos become more mobile or are increasingly drawn to the workplace and face other competing demands. Fundamental changes in gender roles (e.g., men taking a more active role in caregiving responsibilities) will still be a major hurdle, even in 2015. In all likelihood, women will get more help from time-saving devices and the expanding service industries. These options, however, will not be possible for poorer families.

The next 10 years will bring to the fore many family issues. Previously regarded as private matters, family issues will increasingly be part of public discussions. This is a healthy and needed development because many of these issues will be affected by and will affect aspects of our public lives. State support to help families achieve the number of children that they want will, hopefully, be a reality in 2015, thanks to the advocacy of various sectors. More community-based and society-wide solutions to family issues such as childcare and elderly care will have to be worked out as families struggle to balance their multiple responsibilities in a more uncertain world. We will have to brace ourselves for the challenges ahead and to take an active role in shaping families that will raise future Filipinos who will be as concerned and committed to their families as to the larger society.