Currently, a phenomenon of migration for the integration of families is taking place, demographer Valeriu Sainsus stated in a public debate staged by IPN. According to him, the Moldovan citizens who migrated previously now reunite their families in the states where they settled. Migration greatly influences the values of society. Many Moldovan citizens who remained at home borrow values from family members who settled in European states.
The demographer noted that the migration phenomenon has both positive effects, in terms of money transferred to family members who remained at home, and negative effects. Migration has a negative impact on the young generation that remained without parental care.
“In the context of our realities, we see that the stability of marriages has greatly decreased from 20 years to 11 years. We are now in the situation of European countries where the number of divorces is equal to the number of marriages. Not only the elderly population remain without care, but also much of the quality of education of the younger generation was damaged. The biggest influence on children is exerted by the parents, not by the school. In the same connection, the aspect of income for men and women has changed a lot. Women also go abroad to earn a lot of money, not just men. All these things taken together cause large deviations in social aspects,” said Valeriu Sainsus.
According to him, the citizens who, at the initial phase, left in search of a better job, now reunite their families in the states where they settled. For a better life, the Moldovan citizens choose European states where there is stability and increasingly abandon Russia, which is associated with uncertainty and war.
“Now we are at a stage of migration for the integration of families. Migration is rather familial in nature, being about integrating families into new places of settlement. At the first stage, one of the heads of families left and now the rest of the family integrates into new places. Initially, our migrants went in a large number to Greece and Italy, later to Spain and Portugal. Nowadays, the vast majority settle in states where there is stability: the UK, Ireland, France, Germany. The number of people who are in Russia today is under 70,000. The number has halved. Most of those who abandoned the Eastern course did it in the context of instability and the war in Ukraine,” stated the demographer.
Valeriu Sainsus also said that migration is a phenomenon specific to all the states and the citizens return to their home country when the economic situation improves. The migration of Moldovans to Western states has changed the spectrum of values and mentality of Moldova’s population.
“Migration has changed the mentality not only of the emigrating generation, but also of those who are in the country. The spectrum of values has been changed, shaped a lot. In 30 years, many citizens have embraced the European values. Even if they are in the diaspora, the values are still transmitted through human contact with the generations who remained at home. Even though 1/3 of our society remains focused on the Eastern values, shaping is taking place. Migration is a process of differences. As long as there are differences, there will also be migration. All the European states have gone through this process. When the economy recovers, the vast majority of the population returns,” explained the associate professor of ASEM Valeriu Sainsus.
The public debate entitled “Why do the Moldovans leave? Under what conditions can they return?” was the 306th installment of the project “Developing political culture through public debates”, which is carried out by IPN News Agency with the support of the German “Hanns Seidel” Foundation.
