AGENSI ANAK DALAM STRUKTUR KELUARGA TRANSNASIONAL: PRAKTIK NEGOSIASI SOSIALISASI DAN KESEJAHTERAAN ANAK DI KELUARGA PEKERJA MIGRAN INDONESIA

Abstract

Migrasi tenaga kerja internasional oleh Pekerja Migran Indonesia (PMI) merupakan strategi nafkah penting, namun membawa konsekuensi sosial yang kompleks bagi struktur keluarga, terutama bagi anak-anak yang ditinggalkan (left-behind children/LBC). Banyak penelitian masih menempatkan LBC sebagai pihak pasif yang semata-mata menerima dampak migrasi, dan kurang melihat kapasitas agensinya dalam merespons kondisi keterpisahan. Disertasi ini merespons keterbatasan perspektif sosialisasi tradisional yang menempatkan orang tua sebagai aktor utama dengan menawarkan sintesis antara teori sosialisasi dalam Sosiologi Keluarga, perspektif Sosiologi Anak, dan kerangka Teori Strukturasi untuk memahami interaksi antara struktur dan agensi LBC di komunitas desa asal. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan exploratory sequential mixed-method, dengan pengumpulan data kualitatif melalui buku harian pada 31 LBC dan FGD di dua wilayah pengirim PMI terbesar (Indramayu dan Cilacap) dan dilanjutkan dengan survei kuantitatif terhadap 169 LBC. Analisis kualitatif dilakukan secara naratif-tematik, sedangkan data kuantitatif diuji menggunakan korelasi. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa LBC memiliki agensi kuat dalam membangun makna diri, menjaga ikatan emosional transnasional, serta menavigasi stigma komunitas. Agensi anak juga tampak dalam negosiasi kesejahteraan yang memadukan refleksi masa lalu, kondisi kini, dan harapan masa depan. Peran pengasuh pengganti dan komunikasi digital menjadi elemen penting dalam menjaga stabilitas emosional. Hasil kuantitatif menegaskan resiliensi, dukungan keluarga besar dan teman sebaya, serta modal sosial keluarga sebagai penentu utama kesejahteraan LBC. Penelitian ini menawarkan pembacaan ulang proses sosialisasi keluarga migran sebagai proses dua arah yang dibentuk oleh agensi anak, serta memberikan implikasi kebijakan bagi perlindungan anak keluarga PMI berbasis keluarga dan desa.

International labor migration by Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) has become an important livelihood strategy, yet it brings complex social consequences for family structures, especially for left-behind children (LBC). Much of the existing research continues to position LBC as passive recipients of migration’s effects, overlooking their capacity for agency in responding to prolonged parental separation. This dissertation addresses the limitations of traditional socialization perspectives, which place parents as the primary actors, by offering a synthesis of socialization theory within Family Sociology, the Sociology of Childhood, and Structuration Theory to better understand the interaction between structure and agency among LBC in their home village communities. This study employs an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach, beginning with qualitative data collection through diary writing with 31 LBC and focus group discussions in two of Indonesia’s largest PMI-sending regions (Indramayu and Cilacap), followed by a quantitative survey involving 169 LBC. Qualitative data were analyzed using narrative–thematic techniques, while quantitative data were examined through correlation tests. The findings show that LBC demonstrate strong agency in constructing self-meaning, maintaining transnational emotional bonds, and navigating social stigma within their communities. Children’s agency is also evident in how they negotiate well-being by integrating reflections on the past, experiences in the present, and aspirations for the future. The roles of substitute caregivers and digital communication emerge as essential for sustaining emotional stability. Quantitative results further highlight resilience, support from extended family and peers, and family social capital as key determinants of LBC well-being. This study offers a renewed interpretation of socialization processes in migrant families as a bidirectional and co-constructed dynamic shaped by children’s agency, and provides policy implications for family- and community-based child protection for the children of PMI.