Gender and migration from Albania

Guy Stecklov, University of Maryland
Calogero Carletto, World Bank Group
Carlo Azzarri, World Bank Group
Benjamin Davis, Food and Agriculture Organization

This paper examines the dynamics and causes of the shift in the gender composition of migration. Our analysis focuses on Albania, where out-migration was essentially non-existent from the end of World War II to the end of the 1980s. We use micro-level data from the Albania 2005 LSMS, including migration histories for family members since migration began. Based on discrete-time hazard models, the analysis shows an impressive expansion of female participation in international migration. Female migration, which is shown to be strongly associated with education, wealth, and social capital, appears responsive to economic incentives and constraints. Using information on the dependency of female migration to the household demographic structure as well as the sensitivity of female migration to household-level shocks, the authors show how household level constraints and incentives affects male and female migration differently.