Feminization of migration

Since the late 20th century, substantial labour migration from developing countries to high-income countries has occurred. This includes a substantial portion of female migrants. The term feminization of migration has been proposed as a suggested 'gendered pattern' in international migration where there is a trend towards a higher percentage of women among voluntary migrants.Studies on women migrant workers in high-income countries tend to focus on their employment in domestic work and care work for dual-income families. Since the late 20th century, substantial labour migration from developing countries to high-income countries has occurred. This includes a substantial portion of female migrants. The term feminization of migration has been proposed as a suggested 'gendered pattern' in international migration where there is a trend towards a higher percentage of women among voluntary migrants.Studies on women migrant workers in high-income countries tend to focus on their employment in domestic work and care work for dual-income families. For more than 4 decades, female migrant numbers have rivaled those of male migrants. By 2000, the difference between female and male migrant numbers stayed about the same since 1960, with 5 million more male migrants than female migrants. According to estimates published by the World Bank, there has been only a slight increase in the percentage of women among international migrants over the past fifty years, with 46.7% estimated for 1960 and 48.4% for 2010. Although 'South-South migration' (migration between developing countries) is generally more substantial than migration from developing to high-income countries, the World Bank estimates that there are about 73 million migrants from developing countries living in high-income OECD countries; about half being female and half being male. According to censuses carried out in 1990, the United Nations Population Division estimated that women constitute 48% of all migrants. In 2000, 52% of the 56 million migrants in Europe were female. The number of immigrants in Europe has continually increased, due to a higher demand for care work for multi-income families, among other things. The major sites for female labor include GCC countries in Western Asia as well as Pacific Rim countries in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. By 2000, there were 5 million female migrants compared to 4.9 million male migrants in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. In Western Asia, female migrants constituted 48% of all migrants in the region. Women migrants work in domestic occupations that are considered part of the informal sector and lack a degree of government regulation and protection. Lourdes Beneria, a feminist economist, argues that the demand for care work in Europe in the 1990s and 2000s has brought young Latinas to countries like Spain, in order to provide care work for the aging population. The demand for these workers has risen due to an increasing number of European women moving toward the formal sector of work, leaving their domestic duties for hire. Women leaving their country of origin are often considered to be temporary migrants. They leave for an uncertain amount of time, with the intent to return to their homeland after they have earned enough money. Given that women are statistically better at saving their capital gains, they are becoming increasingly economically significant to the capital gains of their country of origin. This can be measured through remittances and how much is sent back to the country of origin. Documentaries, such as Letters from the Other Side, illustrate that after some time, remittances may cease due to new responsibilities or new circumstances that migrant workers face. Economic impacts and the impact of women working abroad have both negative and positive impacts upon traditional family roles, children, and gender roles. In addition to diversifying the domestic workforce, women migrant workers also impact the global economy. Remittances by women migrant workers help bolster the GDPs of their countries of origin. The term feminization of migration was used by the United Nations in a 2007 working paper. It refers to an increase in the proportion of female migrant workers.