Analytical snapshot: Gendered dynamics of labour migration

The Migration and Displacement stream of the GCRF Hub is organised around two premises: first, both conflict-induced displacement (internal and international) and migration in the post-conflict state are highly gendered; and second, the restructuring of the post-conflict state gives rise to competing tensions, including the creation of new opportunities and the exacerbation of ethnic, religious and gender-based divisions which deepen vulnerabilities. Evidence from Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) suggests that women’s migration is particularly affected by discriminatory institutions. Gender discriminatory citizenship policies have an impact on women and children due to displacement. The projects address intractable challenges affecting migration, displacement and return which respond to the pursuit of gender justice. The research seeks to contribute to a gender-sensitive understanding of the interaction between economic and socio-cultural drivers of labour migrations in different cities in the Kurdistan-Region of Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Turkey. The project also seeks to achieve a better understanding of how migrant women use urban spaces. According to the ILO (2021), in 2019, among international migrant workers, 99 million were men (58.5%) and 70 million women (41.5%). While migrant women work across several sectors, including skilled occupations such as health professionals and teachers and have access to decent work, they suffer from the undervaluation off male-dominated sectors (e.g., domestic and care work) that provide low pay. Globally, at least 75.6million men and women over the age of 14 were employed as domestic workers in 2019,76percent of whom were women (ILO 2021) and approx.11.5million of whom were migrants (ILO 2016). In many countries, migrant women constitute a large proportion of domestic and care workers, whose tasks range from cooking to caring for children, the elderly and the sick. Kofman, Lazzarino (2023) Analytical snapshot: Gendered dynamics of labour migration; Gender, Justice, and Security Hub, Migration & Displacement Stream.Acik, Yilmaz Keles, Kakar and Kakar (2022) Return, Reintegration and Political Restructuring in Afghanistan: Survey of Return Migration to Kabul and Kandahar, Gender, Justice and Security Hub