Migration impact on left-behind women’s labour participation and time-use: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

This paper aims to study the impact of migration on labour supply and time-use of women left behind in Kyrgyzstan. Using the household survey data for 2011, labour supply is measured by occupational choices and working hours. Apart from the labour supply data, this study uses detailed information on daily time-use, which is analysed within women's occupations. This approach makes it possible to indicate the impact of migration not only through the labour supply analysis, which may be limited by reflecting labour market behaviour only, but also through the measure of allocation of time among different activities at home. To address the issue of endogeneity, the instrumental variable approach is applied. Results show that the migration of a household member increases the choice of left-behind women to be unpaid family workers. Most of the left-behind women choose unpaid family work and work more hours in this occupation. Although in the labour supply analysis wage-employment is not affected by migration, time-use model estimations reveal that wage-employed women are mostly affected through increases in the time for housework.

Roles in Public Space of Wives Who Left Behind International Migrant Husbands

“…They spend more time working because they are responsible for multiple tasks. Some women have to work outside their community, for instance, working in a factory (Karymshakov and Sulaimanova, 2017). Therefore, they have to perform the roles of motherhood and fatherhood, at the same time (Perraudin, 2016).…”

Essays on migration and occupational choice

“…The subsequent growth in remittances has ranked Kyrgyzstan second worldwide after Tajikistan. Remittances represented about a third of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 (Karymshakov and Sulaimanova, 2017). 7 In 2014, individual entrepreneurs and small farmers contributed to respectively 18% and 9% of gross domestic product (GDP), but accounted for 90% of entrepreneurial activities.…”

“…The subsequent growth in remittances has ranked Kyrgyzstan second worldwide after Tajikistan. Remittances represented about a third of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014(Karymshakov and Sulaimanova, 2017).11 In 2014, individual entrepreneurs and small farmers contributed to respectively 18% and 9% of gross domestic product (GDP), but accounted for 90% of entrepreneurial activities. Over 2001-2014, large enterprises were the main driver of GDP growth(Rudaz, 2017).12 In China, Poland or Vietnam for instance, new firms drove reforms by generating economic growth and jobs, offering goods and services otherwise inexistent, stimulating savings, and limiting the power of public firms(McMillan and Woodruff, 2002).13 Household members currently away are treated as absent: they are present on household rosters,…”

Essays on forced migration and labour market participation in developing countries

“…As such, they are also be a possible driver of self-employment activities among remaining household members. However, there are also other channels through which migration impacts those staying behind, such as the reallocation of time and labour within the household as a consequence of a household member leaving as well as when a household member returns from abroad (Karymshakov & Sulaimanova, 2017;Mu & van de Walle, 2011).…”

“…Considering these different possible channels through which migration experiences of household members may affect the labour market engagement of non-migrants, the role of self-employment activities of non-migrant household members remains one that is not well understood. While there is commonly a focus in the literature on migration leading to economic inactivity of household members left behind (Azam & Gubert, 2006;Karymshakov & Sulaimanova, 2017), the engagement in small businesses and self-employment activities specifically has been researched less.…”