Women’s rights and the gender migration gap

Jerg Gutmann, Léa Marchal and Betül Simsek

World Development, 2025, vol. 195, issue C

Abstract: This is the first global study of how institutionally entrenched gender discrimination affects the gender migration gap using data on 158 origin and 37 destination countries over the period 1961–2019. We estimate a gravity equation derived from a RUM model of migration that accounts for migrants’ gender. Instrumental variable estimates indicate that increasing gender equality in economic or political rights generally deepens the gap, i.e., it reduces female emigration relative to that of men. Studying heterogeneity across income levels, we find that higher-income countries drive this average effect. In contrast, increased gender equality in rights reduces the gender migration gap in lower-income countries by facilitating female emigration.

Keywords: Discrimination; Gender equality; Individual rights; Migration; RUM model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J16 J71 K38 O15 P48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Related works:
Working Paper: Women’s Rights and the Gender Migration Gap (2023)
Working Paper: Women's Rights and the Gender Migration Gap (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:195:y:2025:i:c:s0305750x25001524

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107067

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