Enduring Gendered Mobility Patterns in Contemporary Senegal

Isabelle Chort (1, 2) , Philippe de Vreyer (3, 4) , Thomas Zuber (5)

1 UPPA - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
2 CATT - Centre d'Analyse Théorique et de Traitement des données économiques
3 LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine
4 DIAL - Développement, institutions et analyses de long terme
5 Colombia University

This study explores internal migration patterns of men and women using individual panel data from a nationally representative survey collected in two waves, in 2006-2007 and 2010-2012, in Senegal. The data used are unique in that they contain the GPS coordinates of individuals' location in both waves. We are thus able to precisely calculate distances and map individual moves, avoiding limitations and constraints of migration definitions based on administrative units. Our results reveal major differences across gender. Women are found to be more likely to migrate than men. However, they move less far and are more likely to migrate to rural areas, especially when originating from rural areas. Education is found to increase the likelihood of migration to urban destinations, especially for women. An analysis of the motives for migrating confirms the existence of gendered migration patterns, as female mobility is mostly linked to marriage while labor mobility is frequently observed for men.

Keywords: Internal Migration; Gender Inequalities; Rural-Urban Migration; Senegal

Domains: Economics and Finance

Isabelle Chort, Philippe de Vreyer, Thomas Zuber. Enduring Gendered Mobility Patterns in Contemporary Senegal. 2018. ⟨hal-02141053⟩