Are Skilled Women More Migratory than Skilled Men?

Abstract

This paper empirically studies emigration patterns of skilled males and females. In the most relevant model accounting for interdependencies between women and men's decisions, we derive the gendered responses to traditional push factors. Females and males do not respond with the same intensity to the traditional determinants of labor mobility and gender-specific characteristics of the population at origin. In addition, female willingness to follow their spouse is more pronounced with respect to the male one, other things being equal. Once such interdependencies are accounted for, our analysis reveals that skilled women are not more internationally migratory than skilled men. We thus reject the existence of a genetic or social gender gap in international skilled migration. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.