International Organization for Migration Anke Strauss – Liaison Officer Office of the IOM Permanent Observer to the United Nations 2 March 2010

2 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 billion 2.India billion 3.US318 million 4.Indonesia233 million 5.Migrants214 million

3 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

4 How Gender Influences the Choice to Migrate Impact on push factors Impact on decision-making Impact on opportunities for migration

5 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

6 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

7 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

8 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

9 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

10 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

11 Benefit for women Empowerment and self-esteem Recognition and respect Reconnection and social consciousness Breaking the isolation Building social capital

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