Gender & Migration

According to the United Nations, in 2016, about 244 million people, 3.1% of the world¿s population, 48% of whom women, were international migrants. Indeed, the past decades have witnessed what is called the ¿feminization¿ of migration. In this seminar, we will, from an interdisciplinary and cross-national perspective, explore the gender(ed) dynamics of globalization and migration, and seek answers to the following questions: What are the causes (¿push/pull factors¿) and consequences of millions of women striking out in search of survival and better economic opportunity? How do global economic and political agendas shape women¿s migration patterns? How does migration affect gender relations, family structure, and the social and economic development in the sending countries, for example, through remittances ($436 billion in 2015) as well as the countries of destination? Is migration a tool of empowerment? How does the rise of populism and the increasing ¿securitization¿ of the migration discourse and of migration management, laws, and public policies affect women, for example, in refugee camps, and the context of (re-) settlement and integration policies in the US, the EU and Australia? Which countries have integrated migrants and refugees most effectively and how? What is the relationship between climate change and women¿s and men¿s (forced) migration? Finally, how have the UN and EU responded to the challenges of migration in all its dimensions? These are a few of the questions we will seek to answer on the basis of current cases studies.