Linking social and financial remittances in the realms of financial know-how and education in rural Ecuador

Abstract

This article explores the links between financial and social remittances in the context of Ecuadorian migration to the US and Spain. Ethnographic research on remittance patterns and impacts was carried out in two villages in Southern highland Ecuador. Each site has a different migration and remittance reception profile, in the broad contexts of Ecuadorian regular migration to Spain versus irregular migration to the US. In the specific cases in this research there are links between social and financial remittances in the realm of migrants’ and their relatives’ dealings with the Ecuadorian banking system. Experiences prior to migration and exposure while abroad heavily shape their financial behaviour. A second set of links was identified in the sphere of education. These links are highly gendered with non-migrant women getting ahead of their male peers in educational attainment.