In the new global economy, the children left behind when their mothers migrate are often better off than their absent parent, says a UC Davis scholar who studies the families of domestic workers.

Because their mothers make much higher wages abroad, these children have improved health care, can stay in school longer and move up in social class, says Rhacel Parreñas, an assistant professor of Asian American studies.

Poor Southern Hemispheric countries have found their citizens are their most valuable exports, Parreñas says. Women from the Philippines, Mexico, Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru and Indonesia leave their families to live in wealthier northern nations where the demand is high for nannies, nurses and other domestic-care employees.

Ironically, with the better wages found abroad, the mothers can afford their own domestic servants to care for their children, Parreñas has found. The fathers use the extra capital sent home to invest in more lucrative businesses such as farms or large taxis, also increasing the family's wealth.

But for all the economic gains at home, the migrating mothers pay a price. Whether they are in the United States, Europe or Hong Kong, they often face racism, segregation, loneliness and long years away from their families, Parreñas has found.

Traditional gender roles do not change with an absent mother, Parreñas points out.

"The mother still calls the kids three times a week and tells them what to eat, while the men disappear," she says.

Parreñas' book "Servants of Globalization" (2001) was made into the documentary "The Chain of Love" in 2000. Her new book, "The Gender Paradox of Globalization: Children and Transnational Families in the New Economy," will be published in 2005.