Migration, remittances and the women left behind : A study on how women in Mali are affected by migration and remittances from their migrated husbands

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to find out in which way international migration and remittances influence the role and lives of women in Mali. We look more specifically on whether migration and remittances change existing gender roles and empower women. Our research questions focus on changes in women's decision-making power in the households as well as on their activity outside the households. To understand the importance of remittances, we compare two regions with heavy migration - the one receiving most remittances and one of the regions receiving least. The method used is semi-structured interviews with women in the two regions, both migrant‟s wives and women having their husband at home. The study is also based on interviews with several organizations in Mali. Our results show that remittances and migration have little impact on women's empowerment and ability to make choices. However remittances can influence their material well being and lessen their work burden, which can serve as a prerequisite for empowerment, but only if it is combined with other variables such as changes in traditional gender values.