In Southern Africa, women are changing the face of Migration
A
new study seeks to raise awareness of women’s changing roles in
migration and assess the impact of remittances sent by women migrants
on the SADC region.
The study focuses on female migration from and between six SADC countries, namely
Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, principally to South
Africa. Through a combination of literature review, focus group discussions, and personal
interviews,
the study documents the changing role of women within migratory flows
in Southern Africa, explores the potential impact of the increase in
women who migrate independently as heads of households as well as
migrants’ access to financial and other
services.
With over 16
million migrants, Africans account for one fifth of global migrants.
Projections indicate that by 2025, one in ten Africans will live and
work outside their country of origin. In particular, South Africa has
the largest number of foreign-born persons (excluding irregular
migrants). “In the past, women in Southern Africa were often prohibited
from migrating. Today, with an increasing number of African women
migrants, traditionally male-dominated patterns of migration are
changing. Overall, women now encompass 37.4% of regular migrants from
the SADC region to South Africa,” stated Hilary Anderson, Information
Officer
at UN-INSTRAW.
The UN-INSTRAW/SAIIA study found that
the informal economy is a significant source of employment for women
migrants, who are most likely to work as vendors, street traders, or
hawkers. According to a 2006 survey that monitored over 85,000 traders
passing through 20 border posts connecting ten countries in the SADC
region, 70% of all traders at the main border post between South Africa
and Zimbabwe were women. The informal economy generally provides low
incomes, which has a negative impact on integration in the destination
country and the ability to send remittances. In the mining sector, some
women migrate with their husbands or partners and provide services to
male mine workers. In the case of Lesotho, the increase in unemployment
among Basotho men in South African mines has forced women to migrate to
the capital of Lesotho to work in textile companies, or to
migrate to South Africa.
“Women
migrants are more likely to be disadvantaged by the migration
experience than their male counterparts. While South Africa is an
increasingly popular destination for migrants in numeric terms, it is
often an intimidating and unstable destination, where
women migrants
suffer violence, overt hostility and social exclusion, as well as
economic exploitation,” emphasized Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, National
Director of the South African Institute of International Affairs
(SAIIA). “These trends have negative repercussions on salaries, working
conditions, labour stability and, consequently, on remittances,” she
continued. In the case of Southern Africa, extremely little data are
available regarding the sending, utilization and impact of remittances,
particularly by women. While we know that women both send remittances
as migrants, and receive them as heads of households,
we still don’t
know what the implications of these different roles are for women’s
economic and social status. The UNINSTRAW/SAIIA study highlights that
the total value of remittances has quadrupled from less than US$2
billion in 1990 to US$8 billion in 2005. This could have significant
implications for the well-being and development of the households and
communities that receive remittances.
Existing research in SADC countries, including that conducted by the Southern Africa Migration Project (SAMP) shows that remittances are significant in enabling households to meet basic needs and buy basic services. An overwhelming number of households (93%), purchase food and groceries with remitted funds. “Cases of investment of remittances in productive activities exist in Swaziland, particularly in agriculture, and in Mozambique, in building materials. However, there is no evidence of the emergence of new economic activity generated by the receipt of remittances. Remittances protect human development because they allow families to pay for education, health, electricity, water and other services, when they are not provided by the State,” stressed Hilary Anderson.
In
the context of Southern Africa, formal remittance channels, including
banks, the post office and money transfer agencies, are expensive and
notoriously slow in terms of transfer times. To-date, the majority of
remittances are sent informally through migrating friends or relatives
(31.9%) and taxis drivers (21.3%). In addition, the great majority of
migrant-sending households (85%) receive remittances as cash. “In this
context, women are less likely than men to have access to formal
banking and other financial services.
In Botswana and Swaziland,
for example, women have to provide permission from their husbands or
fathers before they can open a bank account. This is a significant
obstacle to women’s ability to make the most of the income they send or
receive as remittances,” stated Elizabeth Sidiropoulos.
As the majority of migrants carry remittances themselves, the regularity and frequency at which remittances are received is related to how often they return home. On average, 59% of households received remittances once a month, with those in Lesotho (77%) being most likely to do so and those in Mozambique (20%) being least likely to do so.
The
data and information reviewed in the UN-INSTRAW/SAIIA study point to an
urgent need for more research on the migration of women and their role
in sending, receiving and utilizing remittances. In particular, data
should be disaggregated by sex so that we have a better of idea of how
many women migrate, for what reasons (employment, family, etc.), how
they experience life away from their families and how this migration is
changing household formation and dynamics.
In addition, the
UN-INSTRAW/SAIIA study calls for increased dialogue on the policy
context of migration in Southern Africa that takes into account the
extremely diverse
nature of migration in this region, which includes
permanent, temporary and contract migration, localized mobility,
asylum-seekers and refugees, and irregular migration. Migration
policies should also take into account women’s changing role in
migratory flows,
and reflect the needs and priorities of women
migrants in terms of mobility, access to employment, personal security,
and access to financial services.
Read the “2007 Survey on Migration, Remittances, Gender and Development in Selected SADC countries”. [.pdf]
Additional Information
About UN-INSTRAW
The United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women is devoted to applied research, training and knowledge management in partnership with governments, the United Nations Agencies, civil society and academia to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
About SAIIA
The South African Institute of International Affairs is an independent non-governmental organization that aims to promote a wider and more informed understanding of international issues among South Africans.
Press contact:
Ms. Valeria Vilardo
Communications Assistant
UN-INSTRAW
vvilardo@un-instraw.org
Tel: 1 809-685-2111 ext. 227
