Why discuss gender and migration in the context of poverty reduction? Of the 190 million or so migrants in the world today, almost 50% are females; many, possibly the majority having moved from and within developing countries. Of the $160 billion or so migrant remittances sent home to developing countries in 2004 (more than 166 billion in 2005), it is likely that the major proportion was received by women. It is known that the integration of a gender perspective into development policies and programmes can contribute to their efficacy and sustainability. It is also known that migration, particularly through remittances, can be an important motor for poverty reduction and growth in many developing countries. Too little is known about the actual linkages between gender, migration and poverty reduction, and the policies to make these linkages work for poverty reduction.
The author looks at some gendered aspects of the determinants, processes and impacts of migration, because poverty can play a role at each of these stages of the migration. The main focus is on impacts, because there seems to be more literature available on these - albeit scattered and piecemeal. Disaggregated data collection and impact analysis is increasingly warranted at a time when more developing countries are interested in the potential benefits of remittances and other “returns” of their diaspora for development support at home.
