Cross National Comparisons of Internal Migration Flows By Marital Status and Gender
Guy Abel, Asian Demographic Research Institute, Shanghai University
Nayoung Heo, Asian Demographic Research Institute, Shanghai University
Past studies of internal migration patterns suggest distinct heterogeneity in the levels of migration by marital status and gender. Understanding these differentials is essential for explaining past patterns and projecting future population sizes and compositions. Exploiting migration variables from Integrated Public Use Microdata Series data for 65 countries over the period 1960-2011 we first describe migration intensity by marital status and gender. Subsequently, we fit a series of weighted multilevel gravity-type spatial interaction model. We utilize a range of variables to study differences between migration of population subgroups (i.e. marital status and gender) from country specific contextual factors as well as regional push and pull factors. We find distinct patterns in the migration levels through different marital status, where, for example, divorced and widowed migrants are associated with longer distance moves. Within marital status variations by gender are also apparent. For example, separated or widowed females migrate at higher levels to more populated and urban areas compared to their male counterparts.
Presented in Session 68: Internal Migration and Family Dynamics