25 28 09 2005 c moreno remittances haifa sept27

Gender, Remittances and Development:Research gaps and future priorities: 

Gender, Remittances and Development: Research gaps and future priorities Presentation to Conference of Women Leaders September 27th 2005, Haifa, Israel

Situation analysis: 

Situation analysis 2002 - 175 million people lived outside their country of origin; Women represent circa 50% of migrants globally, in some countries as much as 70-80%; Migration for economic reasons more common; New international division of labour;

Situation analysis: 

Situation analysis 2004 – Remittance flows amounted to US$126 billion; Remittances account for twice the amount of ODA (US$72 billion), and 76% of FDI (US$165 billion); Remittances are the second largest source of external income for developing countries; Remittances have significant potential for development and income-generation

Gender dimensions of Remittances: 

Gender dimensions of Remittances Migration is a gendered experience; Few studies analyze: the impact of gender on remittance flows; or the impact of remittances on household gender and power relations; INSTRAW focuses on: Growing feminization of international migration; and Existence of household and migratory networks

Gender dimensions of Remittances: 

Gender dimensions of Remittances Volume and Impact of remittances highly contextual; Women’s ability to remit depends on: Immigration and integration policies; Legal status of the migrant; Gender patterns in the labour market; Existing social agents such as migrants’ associations; Policies for co-development and women’s empowerment Women’s ability to use remittances depends on: Household relationships and power dynamics; Socio-economic status of family and community; Access to credit, micro-finance or other resources;

Exchanging change: The impact of transnational relationships: 

Exchanging change: The impact of transnational relationships Migrants expand relationships across boundaries - geographical, political, economic and cultural; Impact of remittances goes beyond economics: Economic empowerment of migrant women; Transformation of household and gender relations; Constant bi-directional flow of resources, discourses, ideas, and images – or Social Remittances Identities, spaces and behaviours are called into question, compared, reconciled and re-thought

Gendered Social Remittances: 

Gendered Social Remittances Monetary remittances contribute decisively to the improvement of women’s economic status; Gender relations are reaffirmed, negotiated, confronted and reconfigured within transnational contexts; Women acquire new roles through earning and sending money to support their families; Women who receive remittances acquire greater autonomy and responsibility in the management of household resources.

Pending questions: 

Pending questions How does the growing feminization of migrations affect the flow of remittances? How do gender roles influence the patterns of sending and using remittances? How do the sending and management of remittances influence gender relations? How can initiatives for the mobilization of remittances towards investments and activities that generate employment contribute to gender equality? How can developed countries contribute so that migration and remittances become a tool for the development of the countries of origin?

Future Directions: 

Future Directions Migration and labour policies in developed countries and the impact of different types of labour insertion on remittances; Analysis of the changes, breaks or continuities in gender dynamics and inequalities that migration supposes for women, both in the countries of origin and destination; Gender analysis of the initiatives, programmes and policies for channeling remittances towards productive investment; Case studies to analyze remittances and their impact from a gender perspective within specific social, economic and political contexts; Systematize and disseminate good practices and experiences in the area of remittances and development with a gender perspective; Development of guidelines and recommendations for migrant sending and receiving countries for the integration of gender perspectives into proposals for policies and projects that link remittances and development;