General - all subjectsRecommended reading on contributing factors
In search of work: international migration of women in Latin America and the Caribbean, selected bibliography
Bibliography offers abstracts of resources on women's international migration
Authors:
S. Staab
Publisher:
United Nations [UN] Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean , 2004
This bibliography on the migration of women in Latin America and the Caribbean in search of work forms part of the activities of the ECLAC/GTZ project "Gender oriented labour market policy," whose main objective is to promote the implementation of measures in favour of equality in employment and labour market policies. The author points out that in recent decades, a large number of the region’s inhabitants have emigrated to more economically developed countries. She highlights that more recently still, the phenomenon of intraregional migration flows, which, from the 1980s onwards, has increasingly come to be dominated by women.
This selected bibliography on the international migration of the region's women in search of work focuses on the specific differences in men's and women's migration. The author's conclusions include:
- that the labour market is one of the spheres where inequality and discrimination affect women most starkly
- that women's migration differs from that of men in terms of its features and implications; for instance, women find themselves confined to precarious jobs characterised by a high degree of exploitation, such as sex work and domestic service, and are more vulnerable during the migration process, especially where trafficking in persons is involved
- that the increasing feminisation of migration processes and the ensuing policy challenges for both countries of origin and destination make analysis from a gender perspective imperative, and call for it to be considered in public-policy making.
This bibliography sets out methodically the information available on the subject and facilitates access to it. The documents selected, their methodical arrangement and analysis reveal the current state of the literature, their contributions and subjects of interest; and point to gaps and challenges for future research projects and, crucially, for the adoption of public policies that respect the women migrants' rights.
Three indexes are included to make consultation easier: an alphabetical index of authors, a subject index and a geographical index. In addition, three lists are provided giving access to new sources of information on related international agreements, central national instruments and web sites of interest.
