Women in the Wind

Women in the Wind: migration, economic empowerment and gender

28 March 2017

Plan International in Asia presents the summary report of the research, “Women in the Wind: Analysis of Migration, Youth Economic Empowerment and Gender in Vietnam and the Philippines”, which studies the experiences of young women and men on the move to the cities for jobs, and the possible implications these may have on policy and programs.

While internal youth migration is thought to be an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in a number of Southeast Asian countries, very few research studies have examined this topic in depth. In particular, little is known about the experiences of young women who migrate internally, and the gender-specific aspects of youth migration.

In response to these gaps in evidence, Plan International contracted Coram International in 2016 to conduct a research on the gender, youth economic empowerment, and internal economic migration experiences in Vietnam and the Philippines.

The research aims to answer the question: how do gender hierarchies and gender norms influence decision-making and experiences in relation to internal youth migration?

The purpose of the study was to:

Examine the push and pull factors driving internal youth migration
Identify the difficulties and risks, as well as the opportunities, faced by young migrants, and the gendered dimensions of these
Provide policy and programming recommendations to promote safe migration, and support young women and men to take full personal and economic advantage of their migration status.

The study draws on Plan International’s commitment to tackling gender-based inequalities, exclusions and injustices, towards a world in which all children and young people realise their full potential without discrimination.