Gender Dimensions of International Migration

In cooperation with the Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS), our research department explored the gender dimensions of international migration and the socio-economic impacts on families left behind in the country of origin.

Migration trends have changed over time. While individuals and families once migrated permanently from one place to another, more and more of today’s migrants engage in temporary or cyclical migration patterns. While men once formed the majority of migrants, with women remaining at the place of origin or accompanying spouses as secondary migrants, women from developing countries such as Bangladesh and India now engage in migration for work purposes. Gender permeates every aspect of migration, from the decision to migrate to the process of migration and its eventual consequences. A gender perspective is essential for understanding both the causes and consequences of international migration.

The feminization of migration alters the position of men in transnational families: They now receive remittances from female partners living abroad and may attain new family or household functions. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, we studied a sample of 1,000 purposively selected families in Bangladesh and India in order to address the effects of migration of women on gender roles within the family, as well as the effects of migration of men on gender roles within the family.