Arusyak Sevoyan

Husbands' labour migration and wives' autonomy, Mozambique 2000–2006

The separation of migrants from the family unit, as a result of labour migration, can have profound effects on family organization and the lives of family members. Using data from a 2006 survey of 1,680 married women from 56 villages in southern Mozambique, we examined the relationship between mens labour migration and the decision-making autonomy of women who stayed behind. The results show that both mens cumulative migration history and current migration status are positively associated with womens autonomy, and that the effects on autonomy may persist even after the mans return. Three intervening factors—womens employment outside the home, lower fertility, and residential independence from extended family members—did not fully mediate the effects of mens labour migration. This is consistent with the assumption that the migrants absence has a ‘direct’ effect on his wifes autonomy.

Male Migration, Women Left Behind, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Armenia

The effect of male circular labor migration on risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among women left behind has not been well studied. Our study examines this effect using data from a survey of 1,240 married women in rural Armenia, where international male labor migration has traditionally been very common. A multivariate comparison of women married to migrants and women married to non-migrants finds that the former, ceteris paribus, reported more STD symptoms, on average, and were more likely to report diagnosed STDs than the latter. However, in the case of STD symptoms, this effect is moderated by household income, as the predicted number of STD symptoms reported by migrants’ wives increases as income rises. The findings illustrate the complex tradeoffs that migration entails for left-behind women and are interpreted in the context of the literature on gender, migration, and STDs.

Contraception and abortion in a low-fertility setting: the role of seasonal migration

CONTEXT Seasonal labor migration is common among men in many former Soviet republics. Little research has examined contraceptive use and induced abortion among women in such low-fertility, high-migration settings, according to husbands migration status. METHODS Combined data from 2,280 respondents of two surveys of married women aged 18-45 in rural Armenia-one conducted in 2005 and one in 2007-were used. Logistic regression analyses examined whether a husbands migration status was associated with his wifes current use of the pill or the IUD, or with the probability that she had had a pregnancy that ended in induced abortion. Additional analyses were conducted to determine whether relationships were moderated by household wealth. RESULTS Women with a migrant husband were less likely than those with a nonmigrant husband to be currently using the pill or the IUD (odds ratio, 0.6); with increased household wealth, the likelihood of method use increased among women with a nonmigrant husband, but decreased slightly among women with a migrant husband. Overall, the probability that a pregnancy ended in abortion did not differ by migration status; however, the likelihood of abortion increased with wealth among women married to a nonmigrant, but not among those married to a migrant. CONCLUSIONS Despite their husbands absence, women married to a migrant may have an unwanted pregnancy rate similar to that of women married to a nonmigrant. Improved access to modern contraceptive methods is likely to be positively associated with contraceptive use among women with a nonmigrant husband, but not among those with a migrant husband.