The Impact of International Migration on the Labor Market Behavior of Women Left-behind: Evidence from Senegal and DR Congo

Sorana Toma, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Cora Mezger, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

This paper examines the impact of male international migration on the labour market behaviour of women left-behind in Senegal and DR Congo. The objectives of this study are threefold. 1. To explore whether the international migration of the husband stimulates or, on the contrary, reduces labour market participation of the spouses staying behind in Senegal. 2. To examine, for the spouses who are economically active, whether they have experienced occupational mobility, and if so, into what sectors. 3. A final objective is to assess whether the impact of men’s migration on women’s economic participation is mediated by the residential location of the women. While previous studies rely largely on cross-section data, this analysis takes advantage of a new longitudinal data set on international migration. Second, while there is some limited qualitative evidence, quantitative analysis on the Sub-Saharan African context is lacking.