2018 Articles

An Exploration of the Gender-Migration-Development Nexus: The Impact of Labor Migration on Women’s Empowerment

Bachan, Anna

The feminization of labor migration is a 21st century phenomenon. Though not often center stage of migration policy and debate, migrant women have become powerful agents of change as well key actors in influencing social and economic development in their countries of origin. This paper explores the complexities of a system in which labor migration is controlled, produced, and understood; its impacts on women and the society at large; and the sustainability of such change for future generations. Through a case study on female migrant women from Senegal, this article aims to demonstrate how the migration experience and subsequent return of women to their home countries leads to positive and sustainable social and economic changes at household, community, and national levels. However, in order for this occur, it argues that governments must play a key role in supporting and protecting women prior to, during, and after their migration experience while encouraging their return home.