Gender differences in the incidence of rural to urban migration: Evidence from Kenya

Jacqueline Agesa and Richard Agesa

Journal of Development Studies, 1999, vol. 35, issue 6, 36-58

Abstract: This article examines gender differences in the incidence of rural to urban migration in developing countries, particularly those of Sub-Saharan Africa. The study distinguishes itself from current migration literature by suggesting that the gain in returns to observable attributes, as a result of migration, may differ by gender and could provide an explanation for gender differences in migration. Using data from Kenya, we estimate the urban-to-rural wage gap, separately for each gender, and decompose the gap into the components due to urban to rural differences in observable attributes and differences in returns to observable attributes. We find that the portion of the wage gap that is due to the gain in returns to observable attributes is larger for males, suggesting that males receive larger monetary returns as a result of migration and, consequently, have greater incentive to migrate to urban areas.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1080/00220389908422601

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