Migration of Women to Middle East Countries: Assessment of Socioeconomic Impacts on Sending Families in Jimma Town of Oromia Regional State
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Like any other developing countJy, migration affects Ethiopia both economically and
socially. In recent years the number of Ethiopian women migrating to Middle East
countries has been increasing and this has impacts on migrants as well as their families.
The overriding purpose of this study was to assess the socioeconomic impact of women
migration to Middle East countries on sending households. It also tried to identify the
main driving factors that fuel this migration in Jimma Town of the Oromiya Regional
State. The results of the study were based principally on a survey that covered 403
migrant sending households that were selected using simple random sampling method.
Relevant data were also collected through observation and FGDs. The results indicate
that most of the migrants were young unemployed women, with low educational
background. The main driving factor was their low economic situation as the majority of
them departed from households that have low educational status engaged in petty trade.
The migration had both positive and negative effects. Due to the remittance and items in
kind received by sending households, their livelihoods have been relatively improved. On
the contrary money is spent to process the migration by borrowing, sales of property and
from household saving thereby affecting the migrant households and making migrants
stressed out of it. In addition, households had worries about deportation and sexual abuse
of their departed family members. A Logistic regression model was deployed and
estimated based on primary data whereby the impact of a set of demographic and socioeconomic
variables on the probability of saving. In conclusion, even if there were positive
impacts, it should be understood that migration is not a risk free endeavor both for the
sending households and the migrants themselves. Therefore, concerned bodies should act
to raise awareness on the pros and cons of migration of the migrant-sending households
and local youth before migration to the Middle East countries.
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Women to Middle East Countries