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 About half of the world's migrant
population is female, and the share of women in the total estimated
migrant stock of 190.6 million people in 2005 has increased by almost 3
percent since 1960 (UN, 2005). The World Bank is currently analyzing
the dynamics and determinants of international migration from a gender
perspective and is beginning to uncover different economic impacts on
households and communities of male and female migrants. A research volume
compiling the research currently produced will be published by May
2007.
Recent findings from research by the Bank's Gender and
Development Group on the international migration of women
include:
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Household expenditures from remittances vary
according to gender and household bargaining power of the
remitter.
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Female heads of household in Ghana on average have
larger expenditure shares allocated to food (10%) and education
(40%), but smaller budget shares allocated to consumer goods
(-15%), housing (-8%) and other goods (-8%) (Guzman et al.
2006).
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But female
heads of household who receive remittances from abroad substantially
change the way they allocate resources. Their pattern of expenditure
differ substantially from the average expenditure pattern for women,
instead they behave a lot like male heads of household: spending
more on consumer and durable goods and housing and less on
food. One hypothesis is that the male spouses who send
remittances manage to impose their preferences over how the
remittances should be spent back home. |
Women on the Move: Magnitude,
Trends and Impacts of the International Migration of
Women
World Bank
Chief Economist, François
Bourguignon, at a special session related to the UN General Assembly High
Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (9/14/06 ), encouraged
policy makers to analyze migration policies from a gender perspective,
arguing that in many cases
“policies in the field of migration are gender neutral in principle but
not practice.” Powerpoint (PDF
80KB)
Issues investigated at the side event co-sponsored by the
Government of Sweden and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
include: gender dimensions of remittances, female migrants’ participation
in the labor force and policy options for developing and developed
countries in recognizing and enhancing the productive potential of female
migrants. Agenda to the side
event(MS Word
80KB)
In preparation for the UN High-Level
Dialogue on International Migration, the World Bank's Gender and
Development Group presented some preliminary findings from its
research on female migration at a seminar at headquarters in
Washington. Agenda and
presentation materials
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Women migrants
lead way on remittances |
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Financial Times highlights level and impact of
remittances sent home in developing countries by women
migrants. "As growing attention is focused on the importance
of remittance flows, which make up the second largest source of
external financing in developing countries after foreign
direct investment, the UN is appealing to a high-level meeting
on international migration this month in New York to pay more
attention to its female face."
Source:Financial Times, September
7, 2006 (www.ft.com) |
Related Links:
 UN, High Level Dialogue
onInternational Migration and
Development
State of the World Population 2006 by
UNFPA
International Migration and
Development
by the Development Economics Research Program,
World Bank
Migration and Development, PovertyNet, World
Bank |
