WUNRN
Harnessing Knowledge on the Migration of Highly Skilled Women
IOM International Organization for Migration
Direct Link to Full 160-Page 2015 Publication: http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/IOM_OECD_gender_25MAR15.pdf
This report can serve as a useful point of departure for
identifying and addressing research gaps related to the challenges and
opportunities presented by the migration of highly skilled women. This
phenomenon is of growing significance for most countries. Between 2000 and
2011, the number of tertiary-educated migrant women in OECD countries rose by
80 per cent. This increase not only corresponded to twice the growth in the
number of tertiary-educated, native-born women, but also exceeded the 60 per
cent increase in the number of tertiary-educated migrant men. In Africa, the
average emigration rates of tertiary-educated women are considerably higher
than those of tertiary-educated men (27.7% for women and 17.1% for men); this
phenomenon is also seen in Latin America, where the rates are 21.1 per cent for
tertiary-educated women and 17.9 per cent for tertiary-educated men. In terms
of the global distribution of highly skilled migrant women, one third (34%) of
tertiary-educated migrant women residing in OECD countries come from Asia
primarily the Philippines, China and India while the four leading destination
countries for tertiary-educated migrant women are Canada, Israel, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
Despite their significant level of social and human capital, highly skilled
migrant women remain underrepresented among economic migrants. While some of
these women migrate independently, most are pushed to do so by a combination of
economic, institutional and personal factors, including reasons related to
marriage, family reunification or accompaniment, and international protection.
Many migration policies targeting the highly skilled are inadequate as regards
their level of gender sensitivity. Admission programmes, for example, are often
biased towards occupations that are traditionally held by men.
In destination countries, a major integration challenge faced by highly skilled
migrant women is persistent unemployment (and therefore general deskilling),
despite the increased emphasis on educational attainment in the migration
selection policies of many States. A better system for assessing educational
credentials alongside gender-specific support programmes that can facilitate
womens entry into the labour market, such as day cares is a way to begin
addressing this issue.
While migrants are a potential source of change and development for their home
countries, highly skilled women are often less likely than men to return to
their home countries due to factors such as reintegration obstacles in their
origin countries and the negative environments to which they seek to return.
There is thus a need to foster diaspora networks, with a view to promoting the
engagement of female migrants in the development of origin countries,
particularly through the transfer of social and human capital. At the same
time, there is little evidence on the usefulness of remittances sent, or of
social and human capital brought back by highly skilled migrant women to their
home countries.
Continuing dialogue on the global governance of highly skilled migration
along with the involvement of more actors in migration-related policymaking
is critical in identifying issues and fostering cooperation around
international migration. Furthermore, employers, who have shown a growing
interest in migration policies and programmes, have a crucial role in enabling
and harnessing the potential of highly skilled women through their unique
capacity to foster a labour market environment in which diversity, meritocracy
and equal opportunity are promoted.