Short-Term Migration Responses of Women and Men during Economic Turmoil: Lessons from Kazakhstan

Abstract

A team of population specialists from the United States and Kazakhstan uses heretofore unpublished data of the Kazakhstan Statistical Agency to assess gender and age differences in the propensity to migrate from Kazakhstan for the period 1991-2001. The interstate character of the population movements analyzed means that Slavic, German, and other non-Kazakh ethnic groups are disproportionately represented among the emigrant population, but the key focus is on identifying the differing migration responses of men and women during economic crisis, in this case the precipitous decline in economic activity following the dissolution of the USSR. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F22, J61, O15. 2 figures, 4 tables, 21 references.

Migration and first-time parenthood: evidence from Kyrgyzstan

“…Changes in the ethnic structure of the country, in relation with longstanding differentials in the reproductive norms of Asians and Europeans -the present TFR is around 2.9-3.1 for Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, respectively, and 1.3 for Russians -have sometimes been regarded a possible 'trigger' for aggregate fertility increase in Kyrgyzstan and areas of it (Kumskov 2002). Recent data from the National Statistical Committee partly supports this assumption, indicating that TFR in the capital, which 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 migrants ( 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 migrants (in (Becker et al 2003, Demakov 1997, Nedoluzhko 2000, Subbotina 1997, Tishkov 1994. In contrast, internal migration and other demographic adjustments to socioeconomic adversity, like postponement of marriage formation and childbearing, have been poorly addressed (Agadjanian 1999 The composition of the study population of our analysis is presented in Table 1, which contains occurrences and exposure times, by each of the variables we apply in our modeling.…”

The migration response to economic shock: lessons from Kazakhstan

“…Gender differences are discussed inBecker et al (2003). The main findings are that males tend to respond somewhat more strongly to incentives driven by exchange rate movements and to the Russian financial crisis, but that young women aged 18 to 29 had the largest response coefficients of all.…”

Reproduction in upheaval: Ethnic-specific fertility responses to societal turbulence in Kazakhstan

“…The economic challenges and ethnic tensions that surrounded the downfall of the Soviet Union and their implications for migratory patterns and trends have attracted considerable attention in the literature (e.g., Esenova 1996;Demakov 1997;Vitkovskaya 1998;Becker et al 2003Becker et al , 2005. Parallel changes in fertility have also been well documented (National Institute of Nutrition and Macro International 1996;Agadjanian 1999; Academy of Preventive Medicine and Macro International 2000).…”