South-South migration from a gender and intersectional perspective: An overview

Since the 1980s, gender and migration scholarship has documented the inherently gendered nature of migration flows and their developmental and societal impacts in both origin and destination countries. However, as with scholarship on migration more generally, the majority of existing studies focus on North-North or South-North migration flows. The issue of gender and migration between countries in the Global South has only recently attracted greater attention among scholars and policy makers. Increasing evidence suggests that South-South migration flows are not only significant in terms of their magnitude and diversity but also because they display distinctive characteristics. This includes the ways in which gender dynamics, policies, and processes both shape and are shaped by the experiences of migrants, their families, and their communities in the context of South-South migration. We argue that research also needs to pay attention to inequalities between men and women who migrate, as well as to inequalities between those who remain in their countries of origin and those who move. Furthermore, we suggest that in light of the diversity of migrants and their relative dis/advantages, research should also focus on how gender relations intersect with other social characteristics such as age, class, race, ethnicity, disability, and sexuality to produce, reduce, or reproduce inequalities. Our aim is to take stock of existing research that addresses the gendered dimensions of South-South migration, identifying gaps within the literature and agendas for future research.