Are the majority of migrant farmworkers unaccompanied? Or do they travel with their families?
According to the statistics, approximately 52% of farmworkers are married. 42% of those married are not living with their families, almost all of whom are residents of Mexico. Female farmworkers, however, are more likely to be married than their male counterparts (60% vs. 50%). Nearly all married farmworker women live with their spouses as opposed to only one-half of the married men. Further, 91% of farmworker mothers live with their children versus 42% of farmworker fathers.11 One can infer from the statistics that a significant portion of farmworker men that migrate are either single or leaving their families at their home base while they travel to make the seasonal agricultural income. They also suggest that most of the women who migrate do so with their families, making the mother a central factor in the lives of migrant children.
