The Significance of Currency Exchange Rates in Household Financial Recording Practices among Indonesian Migrant Workers
Purpose: This study aims to understand the meaning of the Malaysian Ringgit-to-Indonesian Rupiah exchange rate in the household financial recording practices of Indonesian Migrant Workers (IMWs) from Ujung Bulu Village, Jeneponto Regency.
Methodology: This study employed a qualitative method using a phenomenological paradigm and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Data were collected through in-depth interviews with five informants consisting of IMWs and family members who receive remittances.
Results: The exchange rate is interpreted not only as an economic instrument but also as a symbol of hope, sacrifice, and family welfare. Household financial recording practices are carried out informally, selectively, and are influenced by exchange rate fluctuations.
Conclusions: The exchange rate carries social, emotional, and economic meanings that shape financial recording behavior, adaptation strategies, and perceptions of family welfare among IMWs.
Limitations: This study is limited to the IMW community in Ujung Bulu Village with a relatively small number of informants; therefore, the findings cannot be broadly generalized.
Contribution: This study enriches the literature on behavioral accounting and migration by demonstrating that exchange rates represent subjective experiences that are meaningfully constructed within the household financial practices of migrant workers.
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