Wanderarbeit im sozialen Kontext der Herkunftsorte. Soziale, ökonomische und psychosoziale Auswirkungen polnischer Wanderarbeit

In a multi-sited ethnography a German-Polish team examined the living conditions of Polish seasonal migrant workers. Polish female doctoral candidates conducted covert participatory observations on various farms during harvest season. Afterwards, the migrant workers were interviewed during several months in their Polish villages. These migrant workers change farms and regions with the respective harvest season. Usually, migrant work is started as a short-term activity and becomes gradually a permanent form of income. The activity is only economically worthwhile if the centre of life remains in Poland. Migrant work therefore is also described as “life on the swing”. Due to their regular absence the social life at home of the migrant workers is reduced to their relatives. Migrant work can also contribute to the emancipation of women when they have to take over their husband’s tasks during his absence. The long-term establishment of an economic existence as a migrant worker in Poland can only be achieved under favorable social, health and economic conditions. Although there is constant contact between relatives via the Internet, labour migration causes psychological stress in the families. Changes in the behaviour of children and adolescents can be observed up to the point where they drop out of school and break up with vocational training.