Filipina marriage migration to European countries, 1995-2004

Nimfa B. Ogena, University of the Philippines
Minda Valencia, University of the Philippines
Golda Myra Roma, Commission on Filipinos Overseas

The rise in the cases of international marriages in the Philippines is believed to be kindled by the increasing labour mobility of Filipinas, their social networks and demographic conditions in destination countries. This paper will examine the trend of Filipina marriage migration streams to three top European countries: Germany, UK and Italy, and examine their socio-demographic differentials by age, education and work status of the Filipina emigrants who joined their spouses or fiancés in these countries, and compare selected characteristics with that of their spouses at the time of emigration using the 1995-1999 and 2000-2004 data of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Comparisons will be done using the index of dissimilarity and/or odds ratios. The paper hopes to draw out issues relating to future marriage migration of Filipinas to European countries, in particular, and to foreign destinations, in general.