Migration and Remittances in Ecuador and Ghana: Who Can Accumulate Assets?

Transcription

1 Migration and Remittances in Ecuador and Ghana: Who Can Accumulate Assets? Carmen Diana Deere, Gina Alvarado, Abena D. Oduro and Louis Boakye-Yiadom Presentation to IAFFE International Conference, Accra, Ghana, June 27-29, 2014 Based on the report, Gender, Remittances and Asset Accumulation in Ecuador and Ghana, prepared for the Economic Empowerment Section, UN Women-New York, August 2013

2 Main questions Can women, either as migrants or as recipients of remittances, accumulate assets on par with men? Does the process of international migration contribute to the economic autonomy of women?

3 Data & context Nationally representative household asset surveys carried out in 2010 as part of the Gender Asset Gap project: Ecuador (EAFF), 2,898 households Ghana (GHAS), 2,170 households Both collected information on internal and international migrants who maintain economic relations with the household (during past 10 years)

4 Households who maintain economic relations with migrants ECUADOR Households with: International migrants Internal migrants % Both 0.4 Total 15.5 n=2892 GHANA Households with: International Migrants Internal migrants % Both 1.1 Total 24.5 n= 2170 Will call these migrant households

5 Distribution of migrants by gender and destination ECUADOR Location Men % Women % Tota % International 251, , , Internal 125, , , Total 376, , , GHANA Location Men % Women Total % International 303, , , Internal 1,430, ,012, ,442, Total 1,733, ,167, ,900,

6 Advantages of the Household Asset Surveys Asked how each of the household s assets were acquired and to whom they belong Can identify asset accumulation due to remittances over medium to longterm, not just in past year as most surveys do Know gender of remitter and of owner

7 Results: Share of migrant households that own the asset and acquired it with remittances Ecuador Ghana Asset % % Residence Housing lot 8.2 n.a. Agricultural parcel Other real estate Business Consumer durables Animals Savings Acquired at least one asset with remittances

8 Acquisition of assets by destination of remitter Both countries: households with international migrants much more likely to acquire assets with remittances than those with internal migrants Reflects greater ability to generate savings from foreign earnings

9 Acquisition of assets by destination and gender of remitter ECUADOR International Gender differences are minor Internal HHs with female remitters more likely to acquire consumer durables Those with male remitters, animals & savings GHANA International HHs with male remitters more likely to acquire businesses Those with female remitters, the main residence & consumer durables Internal Gender differences are minor

10 Who owns the assets acquired with remittances?

11 Ownership of the residences acquired with remittances: ECUADOR Form of ownership Beneficiaries by sex Within HH: Women 52.8% Individual Men 39.8% 62% 28% 10% Joint in HH Joint wt/ remitter Both 7.3% Among migrants:* Women 30.9% Men 35.5% Both 33.7% *Refers to share joint with remitter

12 Ownership of the residences acquired with remittances: GHANA 20% Form of ownership 5% 75% Individual Joint HH Joint wt/ remitter Beneficiaries by sex Within HH: Women 75.0% Men 4.8% Both 20.2% Among migrants:* Women 100% Men - Both - *Refers to share joint with remitter

13 Ownership of the businesses acquired with remittances: GHANA Form of ownership 7% 93% Individual Joint HH Beneficiaries by sex Within HH: Women 92.7% Both 7.3%

14 Ownership of savings acquired with remittances: ECUADOR Form of ownership 7% 4% 89% Individual Joint HH Joint wt/ remitter Beneficiaries by sex Within HH: Women 82.5% Men 15.9% Both 1.6% Among migrants:* Women 64.9% Men 34.2% *Refers to share joint with remitter

15 Conclusions 1) Women who stay behind are benefiting from international migration by accumulating assets via remittances Ghana: women the majority of those acquiring homes, businesses & consumer durables Remittances are coming primarily from men Ecuador: women the majority of those acquiring homes, savings & consumer durables Remittances are coming from both male & female migrants Potentially contributing to their economic autonomy

16 Conclusions 2) Migrant households who can accumulate assets a minority Still, our data show share is not negligible Larger share than in most remittance surveys that focus only on past year Ecuador: during previous year only 10% of households acquired assets with remittances; over medium-run, 24%

17 Conclusions 3) Migrants themselves appear as relatively low share of co-owners Only important as co-owners of homes in Ecuador Men & women migrants about equally represented as co-owners

18 Conclusions 4) Remittances may not be the main way migrants themselves accumulate assets: Hold savings in destination country until return Invest in destination country (housing) Invest in home country directly: savings account in own name; purchase real estate or business in own name These would not show up in a HH survey unless return migrants

19 Thank You Project website: