Mittwoch, 12. Februar 2025

An Intersectional Discussion of Gender and Migration Aspirations from a Selected Sample in Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria

Online Presentation by Omololá Olarinde

 

Emerging literature studying temporary and permanent migration decisions expands the existing evidence on gendered migration desires, intentions, aspirations, and plans. Yet there remains a gap in understanding gendered aspirations from the perspective of the origin countries, especially regarding how socially defined factors interact with gender to affect migration aspirations.

This study addresses this gap by exploring migration aspirations among a heterogeneous group of migrants in Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria, focusing on the intersection of gender with various social and economic factors. Drawing on institutional theories, the study conceptualises how individual and family-level (micro), peers and community-level (meso) and state-level factors influence gendered migration decision-making. Using R. Connell's (2014; 1985) gender relations framework, the study argues that a combination of individual and institutional factors shape the decision-making capability of women.

Employing multinomial regression analysis, the study examined the gendered determinants of migration aspirations. The findings indicate that migration motivations differ between men and women, with family being a key determinant. Additionally, the study observes that individual effects varied from gender interaction effects particularly around family ties. Furthermore, gender norms in Africa are evolving, with women increasingly visible in traditionally male dominated professions and their perceived familial roles changing.

 

Omololá Olarinde-Olomola (PhD, Economics, University of Ibadan) is a university-based researcher and Senior Lecturer at Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Nigeria. Her research spans gender and migration, migration governance, labour market dynamics, and inclusive growth. She is the author and co-author of numerous works, including on Gender and Migration (Routledge, London; European Commission Working Paper) and Nigeria-Africa Migration Dynamics (in Obiezu and Odimegwu, Eds).

Dr. Olarinde-Olomola is currently engaged in European Commission-funded research examining migration decision-making, focusing on diverse aspirations, trajectories, and policy effects under the DYNAMIG project. She is also part of the Economic and Social Research Council-funded Migration for Inclusive African Growth (MIAG) project. Her work frequently informs policy, and she is a resource person for international organisations such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

She is a member of the Network of Migration Research on Africa (NOMRA) and the Nigerian Economic Society (NES, FM.6733). Dr. Olarinde-Olomola serves as an associate editor for the African Review of Economics and Finance and the International Journal of African Migration (IJAM, Ìrìnkèrindò). Additionally, she is a Research Fellow with the Institute for Oil and Gas, Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development (OGEES) at Afe Babalola University.

For more information about her research and publications, visit her ORCID profile or her Google Scholar page or you can see her engagements on LinkedIn

 

This Event is part of the West African Migration and Diversity Seminar Series, featuring researchers based in West Africa and Europe who present and discuss their (ongoing) research about migration and diversity.