Scholars underline the persistence of gender disparities in the household division of labor. However, it remains understudied how working-class men manage family life amid the physical absence of breadwinning women. Drawing on fifty-four in-depth interviews and over 22 months of fieldwork in Indonesia, this article investigates how non-migrant fathers navigate conjugal and paternal responsibilities in families headed by migrant mothers. I argue that the reproduction of mother-away transnational families hinges on a refashioning of male conduct for the accomplishment of immobile fatherhood—a model of parenthood developed by non-migrant fathers to accommodate the migration of mothers. I examine the boundary work that men engage in to affirm their selfhood when confronted with the diminution of labor market prospects. In response to their status anxieties surrounding the mounting autonomy of transnational mothers, immobile fathers craft moral boundaries around a commitment to the family. Furthermore, immobile fathers reconstitute masculinity away from providership toward an assemblage of waged labor, childrearing, financial management, and housework that comprises the hallmarks of working-class femininities. By positioning themselves as “family men” in contradiction to irresponsible men and women, immobile fathers realize self-respect through their maintenance of transnational families.

中文翻译：

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边缘的男子气概：印度尼西亚跨国家庭中不动父亲的边界工作

学者们强调了家庭劳动分工中持续存在的性别差异。然而，人们对工人阶级男性在没有养家糊口的女性的情况下如何管理家庭生活的研究仍然不足。本文基于印度尼西亚 54 次深度访谈和超过 22 个月的实地考察，调查了非移民父亲如何在移民母亲为户主的家庭中承担婚姻和父亲责任。我认为，母亲不在的跨国家庭的再生产取决于男性行为的重塑，以实现固定的父亲身份——一种由非移民父亲为适应母亲移民而发展起来的父母身份模式。我研究了男性在面临劳动力市场前景黯淡时为确认自我而进行的边界工作。为了应对因跨国母亲日益增强的自主权而产生的地位焦虑，无能为力的父亲围绕对家庭的承诺制定了道德界限。此外，不动产的父亲们将男性气质从养家糊口转向了工资劳动、抚养孩子、财务管理和家务劳动，这些都是工人阶级女性气质的标志。通过将自己定位为“顾家男人”，与不负责任的男人和女人形成鲜明对比，流动的父亲通过维持跨国家庭来实现自尊。财务管理和家务劳动构成了工人阶级女性的特征。通过将自己定位为“顾家男人”，与不负责任的男人和女人形成鲜明对比，流动的父亲通过维持跨国家庭来实现自尊。财务管理和家务劳动构成了工人阶级女性的特征。通过将自己定位为“顾家男人”，与不负责任的男人和女人形成鲜明对比，流动的父亲通过维持跨国家庭来实现自尊。