International migration of Moroccan women: An underestimated component Abdeslam Marfouk Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Moroccan Women from Here and

International migration of Moroccan women: An underestimated component

Abdeslam MarfoukUniversité Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

Moroccan Women from Here and Elsewhere Change, Challenges and Pathways

Council for the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME)

December 19-20, 2008 Marrakesh

Why do we know very little about international migration in general?

Number of international migrants in the world has increased by 145% between 1965 and 2005 / 3 millions per year: 78 millions in 1965 - 191 millions in 2005 (United Nations)

Official transfers sent by migrants from developing countries are estimated at $ 251 billion in 2007 (World Bank Prospects Group)

Transfers received by developing countries have more than

doubled since 2000 (+118%)

International migration meets a growing interest (policy makers, researchers, international institutions and the media), especially the phenomenon of brain drain and its impact on developing countries


There is broad consensus that the statistics on international migration are 'poor‘

Emigration statistics in countries of origin, if available: incomplete

and inaccurate

The data published by international institutions provide very partial and irrelevant information

Many researchers noted that data on international migration are very scarce and incomplete, which is a major obstacle for the study of migration dynamics


More important deficit of data with regard to structure by gender and by level of qualification

Consequences:

Underestimating the role of women in international migration and the impact of migration of women on countries of origin

Underestimating the role of the diaspora as actors for developing countries of origin


International institutions (OECD and World Bank), and researchers have made efforts to develop and disseminate new databases

Partially filling in the gaps in this area Promoting research and helping improve our

knowledge about some aspects of international migration

Docquier, Lowell & Marfouk (2007) / Docquier & Marfouk (2004, 2006)

New database on international migration by gender and levels of education (2004, 2006)

Methodological approach? Insofar as the emigration statistics are lacking or less accurate, the

number of emigrants can be known only through the statistics on immigration in host countries

Step One: Number of migrants Data collection in the 30 OECD countries, 2 periods (1990 and 2000), by

country of origin 3 levels of education (low skilled, fairly skilled and skilled) Step two: rate of emigration by level of qualification

- Exodus of 1,034,373 skilled people from India (4% of the national skilled workforce) - Emigration of 4,448 skilled people from the Gambia (68% national skilled workforce)

Immigration structure in the OECD zone

Emigration structure Labor force structure

Year 2000 Total Emigrants

(thousands)

In % of the total

Skilled Emigrants

(thousands)

In % of the total

Share of skilled among

emigrants in %

Share of skilled in %

World 58,246 100 20,442 100 35 11 Africa 4,352 8 1,373 7 32 4 Sub-Saharan Africa 2,137 4 934 5 44 3 Asia 15,198 26 7,002 34 46 6 Europe 21,170 36 6,864 34 32 18 Latin America and Caribbean 13,960 24 3,682 18 26 12 South-Eastern Europe 1,849 3 386 2 21 14 High income countries 19,717 34 7,911 39 40 30 Developing countries 37,289 64 12,339 60 33 6 Upper Middle income countries 15,339 26 3,729 18 24 13 Lower Middle income countries 15,505 27 5,691 28 37 5 Low income countries 6,445 11 2,918 14 45 4 Least developing countries 2,364 4 813 4 34 2 MENA region 3,587 6 1,125 6 31 9 Arab countries 3,215 6 869 4 27 8 The world is the sum of developing countries, high-income countries, and emigrants who did not reported their country of birth. Immigrant and labor force correspond to individuals aged 25 and over.

Source: Docquier, Lowell & Marfouk (2007)

Destination of migrants in %, by level of qualification, 2000

Europe (22)USA

AustraliaCanada

Other OECDcountries

Low skilled

Highly skilled

24%

51%

8%13%

4%

48%

37%

6%

5% 4%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


Emigration rate by level of qualification, in %, 2000

2000 Emigration rates Region of origin Global Low-skilled Highly skilled

World 1.8 1.3 5.5

Africa 1.4 0.9 10.4 Asia 0.8 0.4 5.7 Europe 4.1 4.3 7.2 Oceania 4.3 2.5 7.1 America 3.3 4.0 3.3 High income countries 2.9 3.6 3.8 Developing conuntries 1.5 1.0 7.3 Upper Middle income countries 3.5 3.6 6.2 Lower middle income countries 1.3 0.9 8.1 Low income countries 0.7 0.3 7.5 Least developing countries 0.9 0.5 12.3 South-Eastern Europe 11.1 11.0 15.5 Sub-Saharan Africa 0.9 0.4 12.3 LAC region 5.3 4.1 11.0 MENA region 2.7 2.0 9.1 Arab countries 2.6 2.1 8.2 OECD countries 3.7 5.2 4.1 Small island developing states 13.8 9.0 42.4 Landlocked developing countries 1.0 0.5 6.0 Large countries 0.9 0.6 3.0


Comparison of emigration rates by level of qualification, in %, 2000

Highly skilled emigration rate = 2.54 x low skilled emigration rateR 2 = 0.33

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Low skilled workers emigration rate in %

Hig

hly

skill

ed w

orke

rs e

mig

ratio

n ra

te in

% 45 degree line


Emigrants (in absolute values) and emigration rates (%) of skilled people, 2000

155 994

6%

15%13% 19%

83%85%

27%

4%

15%

4%

14%

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000Ph

ilipp

ines

Indi

a

Mex

ico

Chi

na

Viet

nam

Pola

nd

Cub

a

Iran

Jam

aica

Rus

sia

Ukr

aine

Col

ombi

a

Paki

stan

Turk

ey

Sout

h A

fric

a

Peru

Rom

ania

Serb

ia &

Mon

tene

gro

Indo

nesi

a

Bra

zil

Dom

inic

an R

ep.

Hai

ti

Egyp

t

Mor

occo

Nig

eria

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Highly skilled immigrants (numbers)Emigration rate


Proportion of women in total immigration, in %

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2005 1960

Source: Nations Unies

Aspect of literature in favour of migration of men

Aspect of literature in favour of migration of men enhanced clichés and stereotypes

Participation of women in international migration is insignificant

Women are “passive migrants” who left the countries of origin only for the sake of family gathering (as wife, mother or daughter of male migrants)

Data show that a significant proportion of women emigrate independently: Pearce (2006)

Proportion of women in Moroccan emigration, by region of destination, 2000


42%

38%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Total Highly skilled

Ratio of the skilled among the emigrants of Moroccan origin, by gender and country of

residence, 2000

68%

72%

65%

58%

19%

13%

21% 21%

10%

43%

63%65%

61%

54%

13%10%

7%

39%

9%

14%11% 10%

20%20%

13%10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Europe

North A

merica

Canad

aUSA

OECD

Austalia

Autriche

France

Sweden

Switzerl

and

Spain

Danem

ark UK

TotalWomen


Comparison of emigration rates of skilled people, by gender, 2000

20%

18%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Women brain drain Men brain drain


Women brain drain= 1.1783 x males brain drainR20.88 =

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Men's brain drain in %

Wom

en's

bra

in d

rain

in %

45 degree line

Comparison of emigration rates of the skilled people, by gender, 2000


What future trend of brain drain? variations 1990-2000, in %


45%78%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 140%

World

Eastern Africa

South-Eastern Europe

East Asia

Northern africa

Southern America

Subsahran Africa

South Asia

Western Africa

Southern africa

Middle high income countries

Developing countries

Least developing

Low income

Morocco

Low-skilled Highly skilled

What future trend of brain drain?

5%5%

4%

6%

5%

7%

7% 7% 7%7%

6%

5%5%

5%

5%

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

Europe North Ameica Canada USA OECD

Total women Skilled women Skilled men


Documents

International migration of Moroccan women: An underestimated component Abdeslam Marfouk Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Moroccan Women from Here and