• Women migrants and remittances

Women migrants and remittances

There is growing interest in the potential impact of migrants’ remittances on development in their home countries. However, the majority of studies do not take into account the fact that gender influences the sending and utilisation of remittances.

This paper is one in a series of case studies of the gender dimensions of migration, remittances, and their potential for development. It examines the gender aspects of migration to Spain from the Dominican Republic, which has high rates of female migration from rural areas. Based on interviews with households in the Dominican Republic, the study focuses on:

• the impact of gender in the sending, receipt and utilisation of remittances
• the changes in gender roles brought about by the sending, receipt, utilisation and management of remittances
• the extent to which remittances support local development initiatives

Findings from the study include:

• when migratory flows first began, women remitted money to their husbands. As a result of mens poor management of remittances, women chose to send money directly to mothers or sisters
• women who manage remittances are likely to spend it on basic consumption or investment in education and health, and do so to a greater degree than remittance-receiving households in other countries
• businesses started with remittances are typically small and of limited medium-term viability
• the heavy burden of family labour borne by women, together with a lack of access to financial, educational and training resources contributes to the high rate of failure of these small businesses
• benefits of remittances accruing to the community include reduced malnutrition and infant mortality, and improved amenity of the community
• migration is seen to have led to social problems such as family disintegration, low educational attainment, school abandonment, early pregnancy and increased drug use among children

The study found that migration led to changes in gender roles and relations. In households where women have migrated, women are the main economic providers, have primary responsibility for financial management and also continue to have responsibility for household labour. As a result, men’s contribution has become increasingly less important and their role marginal. Women’s greater financial independence has led to increased autonomy and a reduction in gender inequalities.

While warning that remittances should not substitute for government social spending or international development assistance, the report offers a variety of recommendations on strategies to maximise the contribution of migration to contribute to development. These fall under three key areas for action:

• support for the creation of migrant associations that aim to channel collective remittances into local development projects
• development of country-of-origin government policies that can link with such associations and provide policies to maximise the benefits of remittances
• efforts by destination country government to ensure the complementarity of migration and development cooperation policies

The report concludes with a discussion of the methodological lessons learned.

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