Economic and Social CouncilWOM/1544
Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York
Commission on the Status of Women
Fiftieth Session
8th & 9th Meetings (AM & PM)
GENDER PERMEATES CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION,
COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN TOLD
Remittances, Lack of Coherence in Migration Policies
Among Wide Range of Issues Addressed in Panel Discussion
Gender permeated every aspect of migration, including the decision to migrate, the process of migration and its consequences, the Commission on the Status of Women was told today during a panel on the gender dimensions of international migration, one of several issues being examined by the 45-member body at its fiftieth session.
This afternoon’s panel provided the Commission with a unique opportunity to examine the multidimensional aspects of international migration from a gender perspective and provide inputs to inform the high-level dialogue on international migration and development, to be convened by the General Assembly from 14 to 15 September.
A gender perspective was essential for understanding both the causes and the consequences of international migration, Commission Chairperson Carmen Maria Gallardo ( El Salvador) informed delegates. As of 2000, 49 per cent of all international migrants were women or girls, and the proportion of women among international migrants had reached 51 per cent in more developed regions. Women often migrated officially as dependant family members of other migrants or to marry someone in another country. Female migrants were, however, increasingly part of worker flows, moving on their own to become the principal wage earners for their families.
Remittances, which in large part were a rationale for migration, both informed and were informed by gender, stated Manuel Orozco, Senior Associate at the Inter-American Dialogue. Men sent more remittances to their families than women, mainly due to the fact that men earned more money than women. In addition, men sent predominantly to their spouses and parents, while women sent predominantly to their children and parents. One explanation for that was that most migrant women were single or single mothers. On the recipient side, women tended to be the main receivers of remittances and they received more money than men.
More to Follow here: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/wom1544.doc.htm
