Migration and the Gender Roles Essay

In this paper I will analyze the research and data devoted to the issue of migration and changing gender roles; I will investigate the dynamics of the gender roles within the families on the move. Undoubtedly, migration has a significant influence on gender roles and the construction of gender identities. The first important trend is connected with the new role of women. Migration breaks the traditional way of life, so women become more independent and self-responsible. Within the family migrant women also imposes their new gender roles. Parvati Raghuram states that migration leads to â€Å"critique of patriarchy† (Raghuram 2004) on the larger scale. Bertil Egero in the preface to Lisa Eklund’s study of the migration inside China refers to migrating women as to the,â€Å" pioneers also in terms of the gender role models they represent, a sharp break with the traditional subordinated roles of rural women. † (Eklund 1999) This trend gradually evolves into the second phenomenon associated with the balance of power within families on the move. Smits, Mulder and Hooimeijer state that joint decision-making requires equal power balance within couples. Their data from the mid-nineties Netherlands shows that men are becoming tied stayers, while women are tied movers in the modern society. This view is supported by Keith Halfacree, who states that tied migration, â€Å"has been shown to have a clear gender dimension; it is usually the female migrant who is ‘tied’†¦[but] labour migration will become ‘de-gendered’. † (Halfacree 2004) More equality and higher responsibility of both partners is noted within the families on the move. I consider that my outlook and personal position couldn’t bias my interpretation significantly. I analyses the data and research papers attentively and objectively. Still, I believe women becoming more independent to be a positive trend and consequence of migration. But I must admit that gender roles are the cornerstone of every cultural tradition, so Westernization of migrant families can jeopardize cultural diversity. References Eklund, L. 1999. Gender roles and female labour migration — a qualitative field study of female migrant workers in Beijing.PROP Report No 29 www. soc. lu. se/prop/LisaEklund. PDF Smits J. , Mulder C. H. , Hooimeijer P. Changing Gender Roles, Shifting Power Balance and Long-distance Migration of Couples. Urban Studies, March 2003 Halfacree, K. Untying migration completely: de-gendering or radical transformation? Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Jan 2004 Raghuram, P. The difference that skills make: gender, family migration strategies and regulated labour markets. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Jan 2004.