Women, migration, and development in Africa

Abstract

Recent studies on migration in Africa show an increasing trend in women's migration, often referred to as the feminization of migration. This growing feminization is raising questions for both policy-making and development. This chapter interrogates the emerging picture to understand how women are implicated in the African migration phenomenon. It examines the general context and trends in African women's migration, the policy context, and the implications for development by using related secondary literature. The study found high rate (47%) of female migration within and out of the African continent. Some of the push factors found include the quest for higher educational attainment, rise in demand for female labor both within and out of Africa, job vacancies in skilled and unskilled labor markets, poverty, lack of access to land, and productive resources, among others. The pull factors also pointed to rise in demand for female labor overseas and improved access to information and communication, among others. Women migrants, however, face various gender-based discriminations and violence even as they contribute to development in the form of remittances, productivity, and family well-being. Although this situation is attracting attention in migration policy, there is a paucity of sex-disaggregated data, inadequate policy, and weak monitoring and evaluation strategies. Consequently, investing in migration research especially by the African Union and African governments should integrate more effective gender-sensitive policies and monitoring and evaluation strategies into its plans and programs.