Changing practices of providing (financial) care: gender, digital access and remittances during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitisation of everyday life, including the remittance practices of migrant communities. Despite early predictions of a significant decline, remittances have shown remarkable resilience during the pandemic, particularly in countries where digital financial inclusion initiatives have been promoted. However, little attention has been given to the micro-level and gendered impacts of COVID-19 on migrants’ remittance practices. This chapter explores how digital remitting functions within gendered transnational social relations and bonds, framing it as practices of (financial) care. Drawing on a two-year research project, the chapter examines the shifts in the nature and direction of remittance sending, explores the implications of disrupted remittance flows on migrant communities’ wellbeing, and investigates how COVID-19 has affected access to remittance services, particularly for women. The authors highlight the challenges of shifting between embodied to digital forms of caring and the gendered opportunities and challenges of shifting care online.