United Nations: New Study Seeks To Show Changing Face Of Migration In Southern Africa As Women Play Bigger Role In Development Through Remittances

INSTRAW) -- A new study seeks to raise awareness of women's changing roles in migration and assess the impact of remittances sent by women migrants on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Gender, Remittances and Development: Preliminary Findings from Selected SADC Countries, published by the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), highlights the growing impact of women's migration on households, families and communities in selected countries of SADC.

The study focuses on female migration from and between six SADC countries -- Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, principally to South Africa. Through a combination of literature review, focus group discussions, and personal interviews, the study documents the changing role of women within migratory flows in Southern Africa, explores the potential impact of the increase in women who migrate independently as heads of households, as well as migrants' access to financial and other services. [Read more]