英语阅读：Strawberry orphans
Nancy MatosReader question: What does “strawberry orphans” mean in western
countries?
My comments: A strawberry orphan is a term used for children of migrants
whose parents have left them to find work in another country. A true orphan is a
child who has become parentless after the death of their parents.
Sociologists came up with the term “strawberry orphans” based on the fact
that many of these parents leave their homelands to work at laborious jobs such
as strawberry picking and housecleaning. It is especially common in Romania,
where it is estimated that 170,000 children have one or both parents working
abroad, according to a recent study by the Soros Foundation.
The attraction of these parents leaving home to work in another country is
the same as the reasons why China has a large migrant population in cities like
Beijing: to make more money. A mother could make three times her monthly salary
as a housecleaner in Italy, for example, than at her usual job in a poorer
country like Romania. Children in Romania are particularly feeling the pain of
being strawberry orphans as menial work in neighboring, wealthier countries like
Spain and Italy is readily available for their struggling parents.
Unfortunately, locals in some of these countries don’t always want to do these
jobs, and with several countries relaxing their immigration rules, it has made
it more attractive and possible for parents to find better-paying employment to
help support their families.
Although the intention is to create a better life and support for their
children by earning more money, some migrant workers’ children suffer negative
effects. The Soros Foundation study also found that strawberry orphans are at
greater risk of abusing alcohol, smoking cigarettes, getting in trouble with the
law and having poor grades. Those children whose mothers leave home to work
abroad are said to be at greater risk of becoming depressed and may suffer from
abandonment issues.
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