Climate Shocks, Migration, and Labor Markets: A Gender Analysis from West Africa

Nelly Elmallakh and Quentin Wodon

Journal of Development Studies, 2025, vol. 61, issue 9, 1443-1477

Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of climate shocks on labour markets in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). We disentangle the differential effects of climate shocks on migrants and non-migrants focusing on migration flows within WAEMU countries. Leveraging unique survey data from Ivory Coast, the primary migrant-receiving country, and all seven other migrant-sending WAEMU countries, we employ a Propensity Score Matching technique that allows for a within comparison between treated and untreated individuals, addressing the double selection into climate shock exposure and migration. Our findings reveal that migration to Ivory Coast is linked to a decrease in female labour participation, primarily driven by marriage motivations. However, we observe an increase in female labour force participation and a narrowing gender gap in migrant households facing adverse climate shocks. These results contribute to the literature on the impact of shocks on gender-based labour division, underscoring how shocks may disrupt entrenched gender roles.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2025.2487011

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