Gendered migration responses to drought in Malawi

Migration is a common means of adaptation to weather shocks. Previous research has identified heterogeneous effects according to age, sex, and wealth, but little is still known about how marriage-related institutions affect such migration. Relying on a quasi-experimental identification strategy, we analyze marriage- and work-related migration in Malawi following large droughts, separating the effects for female and male migrants according to different age groups. The analysis based on stated motives of migration reveals marginal decreases in marriage-related migration among girls, but increases in marriage-related migration within districts for women in older age groups. We also find large increases in work-related between-district migration for boys, and to a smaller extent also for girls following severe drought. The results add to the evidence of the potentially adverse effects of migration as a coping mechanism following drought when other means of insurance do not exist.

Gendered Migration and Agroforestry in Indonesia: Livelihoods, Labor, Know-How, Networks

Migration connects land use in areas of origin with areas of new residence, impacting both through individual, gendered choices on the use of land, labor, and knowledge. Synthesizing across two case studies in Indonesia, we focus on five aspects: (i) conditions within the community of origin linked to the reason for people to venture elsewhere, temporarily or permanently; (ii) the changes in the receiving community and its environment, generally in rural areas with lower human population density; (iii) the effect of migration on land use and livelihoods in the areas of origin; (iv) the dynamics of migrants returning with different levels of success; and (v) interactions of migrants in all four aspects with government and other stakeholders of development policies. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions in the study areas showed how decisions vary with gender and age, between individuals, households, and groups of households joining after signs of success. Most of the decision making is linked to perceived poverty, natural resource and land competition, and emergencies, such as natural disasters or increased human conflicts. People returning successfully may help to rebuild the village and its agricultural and agroforestry systems and can invest in social capital (mosques, healthcare, schools).

“When I Came to Canada, All I Did Was Cry”

Love, distress, hope, and pride are concepts seldom associated with the movement of Greek women to Montreal in the post–World War II years. This chapter contributes to an understanding of emotions as key elements in the decision to migrate, as well as to forging gendered identities and lives. Utilizing oral history and emotion theory, the chapter attempts to put forward a narrative of gendered migration as a lived emotional experience.

Heroes and Filipino Migrations

This chapter highlights the stories of 1990s and 2000s street dancers in order to explore the impact of Filipino familial and labor migration since the early 1970s. Although scholars have usually depicted global hip-hop as an outward flow from the United States, this chapter points to an alternative trajectory—when Filipino talent is part of the 10 percent of the Filipino population to have worked outside the Philippines. This chapter analyzes two figurations—overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Petisyonados—that simultaneously recode state-brokered gendered migration, economic motivation, and personal rationale. The processes of migrant identity formation reveal a crucial narrative by which racial and sexual formation factor into the rooting and uprooting of Filipino people and culture. Demythologizing talent and the migrant hero trope, these Filipinos exemplify how the global mobility of people and individual motility of bodies prove to be more closely related than previously thought.

Spousal order of migration, gender, and hospitalization among immigrants in Denmark

Background: Certain migration contexts that may help clarify immigrants’ health needs are understudied, including the order in which married individuals migrate. Research shows that men, who are healthier than women across most populations, often migrate to a host country before women. Using Danish register data, we investigate descriptive patterns in the order that married men and women arrive in Denmark, as well as whether migration order is related to overnight hospitalizations. Methods: The study base includes married immigrants who lived in Denmark between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 2014 ( N = 13,680). We use event history models to examine the influence of spousal migration order on hospitalizations. Results: The order that married individuals arrive in Denmark is indeed highly gendered, with men tending to arrive first, and varies by country of origin. Risk of hospitalization after age 50 does not depend on whether an individual migrated before, after, or at the same time as their spouse among either men or women. However, among those aged 18+, men migrating before their wives are more likely to experience hospitalizations within the first 5 years of arrival. Conclusions: These findings provide the first key insights about gendered migration patterns in Denmark. Although spousal order of migration is not related to overnight hospitalization among women, our findings provide preliminary evidence that men age 18+ who are first to arrive experience more hospitalization events in the following 5 years. Future research should explore additional outcomes and whether other gendered migration contexts are related to immigrants’ health.

All in a Day's Walk? The Gendered Geography of Native Migration in Colonial Chiapas and Guatemala

The census records of some Indian towns (pueblos de indios) in colonial Chiapas and Guatemala present a puzzle: remarkably uneven gender ratios. This article explores gendered migration as a possible explanation. Previous studies show that the labor markets of colonial Latin American cities attracted mainly female migrants, and this article hypothesizes that people were more likely to migrate if they could make the trip between dawn and dusk. I use Google Maps, as well as colonial writings, to estimate travel times between a sample of Indian pueblos and their closest colonial cities. I then analyze gender ratios in census records from those pueblos. The results suggest that Indian pueblos with large male majorities were generally within a day's walk of a colonial city. Presumably, the male majorities indicate high rates of female out-migration for work in the cities. The article's conclusion discusses impacts that gendered out-migration likely had on sending communities.