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Gender Equality pp 1–9Cite as

Female Migration and the Global Economy

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Definition

Female migration refers to the women who either voluntarily or involuntarily leave their homes and often their families behind when they go in search of better, safer living conditions or financial means for supporting their families. These migrations can occur both internally and internationally. While men have been the primary economic migrants for generations, it is the rising labor market demand for female migrants and what happens to their families in their absence that has scholars more invested in understanding the significant role women are playing in the global economy.

Introduction

For the past 40 years, global migration has been on the rise. Recent studies suggest that international migration doubled between 1985 and 2005, from 55 to 120 million (Martin and Zurcher 2008). Between 1990 and 2008, migration to the United States accounted for over 30% of population growth and almost 50% of labor force growth. During this same period, temporary workers rose from...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Albright College, Reading, PA, USA

    Elizabeth Kiester

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Kiester
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Kiester .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences FTZ-ALS, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Ctr Neurosci & Cell Biology, 1 Floor, Univ Coimbra, Edf Fac Medicina, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

    Melissa Haeffner

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Kiester, E. (2019). Female Migration and the Global Economy. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Gender Equality. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_5-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_5-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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