Intergenerational Transnational Support Services: The example of parents and adult children (TransCare).

A defining feature of family relationships is mutual support and care. Within families, the parent–child relationship is particularly important. Parents support their children throughout their lives, while adult children also provide care and support for their parents. Numerous international studies show that this intergenerational care continues even when parents and their adult children live in different countries. Research also indicates that, as in families living in the same country, transnational care work is unequally distributed by gender: women are generally more involved in caring for their parents than men.

Transnational care can present particular challenges. Parents and their children are often separated by long distances and live in countries with different legal frameworks, economic conditions, welfare systems, and cultural expectations regarding family support. Studies show that transnational family care involves higher direct costs (e.g. remittances and travel expenses) as well as indirect costs (e.g. using annual leave to provide care). It may also involve emotional burdens such as feelings of helplessness or guilt caused by limited opportunities to support family members. Moreover, transnational family relationships are shaped by the institutional frameworks of the countries involved, which may make cross-border care more difficult.

In Germany, this phenomenon has received little research attention. There is still limited knowledge about the extent and forms of support provided to parents living abroad, the consequences for those providing support, and the extent to which public support systems meet their needs. Yet transnational intergenerational family constellations are no longer uncommon. Data from the 2021 DeZIM.panel show that around 40% of people in Germany have at least one family member living abroad, and for around 14%, this includes one or both parents.

The project investigates the extent, forms, and consequences of intergenerational transnational support among adults living in Germany who have at least one parent residing abroad.

Participants in the 2023 seventh wave of the DeZIM.panel whose parents live abroad were surveyed about their parents' country of residence, the support they provide, and other relevant topics such as perceived burden. The project aims both to generate new scientific knowledge and to raise awareness of transnational family care.

The 2023 DeZIM.panel survey shows that people support relatives living abroad about as frequently as those whose relatives live in Germany. The level of support depends primarily on the actual care needs of the parents. These findings confirm qualitative research showing that people with relatives requiring care abroad are often heavily involved in organising care and support, although this may take different forms, such as logistical coordination or financial assistance. Respondents with parents living abroad reported significantly higher levels of burden than those whose parents live in Germany, particularly among people who had themselves migrated to Germany. This greater burden is mainly explained by higher mobility barriers and fewer care resources. Those affected more frequently encounter migration-related legal obstacles despite having greater mobility needs and have less access to public and family support than people with relatives living in Germany. As a result, they find it more difficult, for example, to balance work and family responsibilities.

What is the practical relevance of the findings?

The findings provide an important basis for future research, including whether public support systems adequately address the needs of people with transnational family care responsibilities. Better recognition of these needs would not only strengthen integration by ensuring equal access to care systems but also make Germany a more attractive destination for urgently needed skilled workers. Whether skilled workers choose to move to Germany and remain in the country also depends on their ability to reconcile employment with caring responsibilities for family members living abroad.

What do we mean by "transnational family care"?

In this project, family care refers to the mutual support and the material and non-material care provided among family members. It is a defining characteristic of family relationships. The term transnational is used in research to describe family relationships that are maintained across national borders.