The Global Feminization of Migration: Past, Present, and Future
In this Migration Information Source feature article (The Global Feminization of Migration: Past, Present, and Future), Katharine M. Donato and Donna Gabaccia look at the global feminzation of migration.
Scholars have declared feminization to be a core dimension of the new age of international migration. This article sketches a more nuanced understanding, noting that an uptick in female migration occurred far earlier. The authors examine global historical patterns of female migration in order to understand the causes and consequences of the migration gender balance, which varies considerably.
Between 1960 and 2015, the number of female migrants doubled. But so did the number of male migrants and the size of the earth’s population. As a proportion of international migrants, by contrast, the female share increased only slightly from 46.6 percent in 1960 to 48 percent in 2015. Examination of global patterns of migration over the centuries leads to a more nuanced understanding of the meaning of feminization, and suggests that scholars failed to notice a substantial uptick in female migration that occurred well before 1960. Such analysis demonstrates that women have always migrated, often in substantial numbers. The greater challenge facing migration researchers is to understand the causes and consequences of the migration gender balance, which shifts over time and varies considerably across cultures and nations.
KJ