The influence of male migration on female resources, independence, and development in Gambian villages

Abstract

This article examines how women's situations in three Gambian villages are influenced by men's migration to urban areas and abroad. It particularly explores the influence of men's migration on women's independence and power to make decisions, changes to the gender division of labour, the influence of migration on networks and resources in the household, and its impact on agriculture.

Keywords:

• migration
• gender
• empowerment
• remittances
• female resources
• farmland ownership

Notes

1. The research was conducted for the author's Master's thesis at Malmö University (Sweden), with a grant from Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

2. See Carney (1993) for a classic account of the gendered dynamics of rice-farming in Gambia.

3. In Fula Kunda and Sukuta some women have migrated because of marriage, but since they usually do not work or send money to the village, and the focus is on women left behind and not those migrating, they are not included in this study.

4. All names are fictitious.