Migrant Remittances, Development and Gender

Although migration may generate a wide array of positive as well as negative consequences for development, remittances have recently become the single most emphasised evidence and measuring stick for the ties connecting migrants with their societies of origin. Remittances can be both monetary (i.e., money transferred) and social (i.e., the ideas, practices, identities, skills and social capital that flow from the receiving to the sending communities). Remittances can be transferred either within a country in the case of internal migration, or across borders in the case of international migration. This brief aims at contributing a gender perspective to the remittances debate. It recognises the potential positive impact of remittances but criticises approaches that burden migrants, sometimes women in particular, with the expectation of sending remittances. It is generally assumed that women send home a larger share of their earnings than men and also tend to be better savers. Women are the largest receivers of remittances, and when in control of remittances are believed to channel financial transfers into better health, nutrition and education for the entire family. Remittances will be affected by the gender and position of the migrant in the family, as well as by gender inequalities in the labour market. However, how gender affects remittances is not fully understood and needs more research.