Migration and Prospects of Gender Equality

1
Migration and Prospects of Gender Equality

• Maruja M.B. Asis
• Scalabrini Migration Center-Philippines

2
Outline

• Migration and gender issues in relation to Goal 3
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Consideration of migration and gender
• How does gender shape migration chances and
  opportunities?
• Social constructions of gender roles, the
  possibility of migration, individual motivations
  and household decisions, and state policies
• Gendering of demand
• How does migration affect women and men?
• Focus on migration processes and outcomes that
  render women more vulnerable
• Protection issues, development questions

3
Background

• 49 of the worlds international migrants are
  women (as of 2000)
• More migrant women are in the developed regions.
• Most women move for family reasons or for work.
• Family migration to traditional countries of
  settlement is female-predominant
• The percent female in labor migration is more
  variable, subject to the demands of labor
  markets.
• 1970s demand in the Gulf countries
• 1980s demand in East and Southeast Asian
  countries
• Women also figure in unauthorized migration and
  trafficking in persons.
• Most trafficked persons are women and children.

4
Gender and Migration Chances

• Migration as a male preserve in traditional
  cultures part of rite of passage.
• Labor migration as a family/household strategy to
  diversify their sources of income.
• Individual initiative to migrate, with family
  support
• Migrant women may have other non-economic reasons
  for migration.
• Response to demand factors
• Individual decisions
• Family decisions
• State policies
• Policies re female migration are value-laden
  male migration is economically motivated (Oishi,
  2000)

5
Gender and Migration Chances

• Labor migration is not gender-neutral.
• Male migration is the transfer of labor from less
  to more developed countries.
• Female migration is the transfer of reproductive
  labor (care work) from less to more developed
  countries.
• Demand for care work is stable likely to
  increase
• Other examples suggesting demand for migrant
  women
• Marriage migration
• Trafficking in persons, esp. women and children
• Absence of trafficked men?
• Shift focus of anti-trafficking measures to
  outcomes?

6
Migration Outcomes and Gender

• Male construction workers
• Access to support and assistance
• Standard medical exam
• Skills acquisition is recognized and credited
• Provided with recreational facilities programs
  state concern over housing conditions

• Female domestic workers
• Limited access to support and assistance
• Standard medical exam plus pregnancy test every
  6 mos
• Skills acquisition is not recognized by the state
• No state facilities or recreational programs
• (Huang and Yeoh, 2003)

7
Migration Outcomes and Gender

• Migrants roles and statutes are in flux. They
  vary according to the stage of migration and the
  points of reference.
• Prior to migration
• Migrants differ from non-migrants migrants are
  the lucky ones?
• Male migrants, leaving to work abroad is part of
  their role as providers.
• Female migrants, leaving their homes and families
  is a transgression of their traditional roles as
  caregivers labor migration is their entry point
  to the world of paid work.

8
Migration Outcomes and Gender

• During migration
• As foreigners, the other limited
  participation in the host country presumed as
  the source of criminality, etc.
• In relation to non-migrants back home, migrants
  earn more, an increase in economic status (and
  social status, too).
• Women experience more role changes in labor
  migration than men, with mixed consequences.
• Families left behind gender role changes,
  emotional costs of migration, role of the
  extended family
• Return migration
• Challenge of economic reintegration
• Gender role changes back to the old?
• Re-migration? Other alternatives

9
Some Suggestions

• Migration is part of broadening peoples choices
  and options, which is integral to human
  development.
• There is a need to address the risks and dark
  sides of migration.
• Integrate gender dimensions in discussions of
  managing migration.
• Review of migration-related policies
• Also citizenship and nationality laws
• Protection more focus on the working and living
  conditions of migrants rights of migrants
• Domestic work as a specific concern (migrants
  associations)
• Left-behind families
• Managing migration and development goals
• Beyond remittances