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Review highlights gender differences in the migration process

Paper published October 10, 2024
A look at gender in the migration process

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) have recently published a study collecting and synthesizing findings from 170 studies that analyse gender differences in the migration process based on quantitative research and various migration data sources. The study shows that women are less likely than men to achieve their migration goals. Furthermore, the research findings cast a new light on the common narrative of the 'feminisation of migration' and suggest that female migrants face double discrimination in the labour market. They are discriminated against because they are women and because of their migrant status. The study highlights that most research to date has focused on the Global North, and that migration patterns to and within the Global South have not been sufficiently explored. The researchers stress the importance of taking gender differences in migration into account when making demographic projections.

Author Athina Anastasiadou of the MPIDR explains: “The most important contribution of our work is to shed light on research that has already attempted to understand the relationship between gender and migration. At the same time, we aim to make the case for better data collection by gender and also to encourage demographers to rethink their concept of 'gender' when studying migration as a component of demographic change that is determined not by biological characteristics but by societal norms and roles.”

Original Publication

Athina Anastasiadou, Jisu Kim, Ebru Sanlitürk, Helga A. G. de Valk, Emilio Zagheni: Gender Differences in the Migration Process: A Narrative Literature Review in Population and Development Review (2024), DOI: 10.1111/padr.12677