International Organization for Migration

Anke Strauss – Liaison OfficerOffice of the IOM Permanent Observer to the United Nations

2 March 2010

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Migration – the big picture

Source: Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2008 Revision, UN DESA

One out of every 32 people is an international migrant

Almost half are women

1. China 1.354 billion2. India 1.214 billion3. US 318 million4. Indonesia 233 million5. Migrants 214 million

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Quantitative perspective

•No feminization at the global level•Feminization in Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa

•Drop in Asia

Qualitative perspective

•More women migrants as main income earners

Female migration is here to stay

Feminization of Migration

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How Gender Influences the Choice to Migrate

• Impact on push factors

• Impact on decision-making

• Impact on opportunities for migration

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• Low Skilled: Mainly domestic work• Direct impact on vulnerability/

Remittances• Skilled welfare and social

Professionals• Gender-insensitive labour migration

Policies• Impact of Economic Crisis

Women migrants and the labour market

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Brain Drain & Deskilling

• Higher migration rate of skilled women• Barriers to professional achievement as a key

cause• Nurses and doctors face considerable

downgrading and discrimination• Deskilling frequent among educated migrant

women• Lack of recognition of qualifications: need for

new degrees

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Women Migrants & Remittances

• Gendered sending patterns• Women send approximately the

same amount• Represent a higher proportion of

their income• Women send money more

regularly and for longer periods of time

• Gender specific and individual motives to remit

• Legal status and working conditions: key determinants

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Women migrants facing violence and discrimination

• Different types of violence• Multi-factored vulnerability

– As women– As migrants

• Additional risk factors– Legal status, age, class, race, nationality, ethnicity, employment,

language, level of education, religion, culture, disability…• Isolation an aggravating factor• Limited access to institutional support• Public / Private spheres• Migration-related change in gender roles as a trigger to

violence

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The social costs of migration

• Question of the « left-behinds »

• Emotional toll for children• Heartbreak and guilt for

mothers• Negative effects are often

overstated• Policy response is needed

in problematic cases• Burden on other women

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The integration of migrant women

• Integration can be a slow, emotional, time-consuming and stressful proccess

• Vary according to the migrant woman profile

• Resistance can create tensions

• Integration is a highly gendered process

• Obstacles for women are many

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Benefit for women

• Empowerment and self-esteem

• Recognition and respect

• Reconnection and social consciousness

• Breaking the isolation• Building social capital

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Thank You

Information: www.iom.int & www.un.int/iom Contact: astrauss@iom.int