Impacts of Migration

Impact of Migration on Society

• More ethnically diverse
• Places become over populated
• Changes the age structure and average age of the population (because immigrants tend to be younger and emigrants may be older retired couples)
• Changes the dependency ratio
• Feminisation of migration
• Emigrants = losing taxes
• Immigrants = more strain on public services
• Rise in prejudice and racism
• Emigrants create an ageing population and loss of skilled workers (brain drain)

Impact of Migration on Individuals

• Denizens are welcomed
• Transnational identities
• Helots get taken advantage of
• Migrants are blamed for problems such as unemployment
• Migrant women exploited in sex work
• Hybrid Identities - can stay in contact across countries

Impact of Migration on Family Structures

• More diversity
• "Mail order" brides
• Migrant women are employed to do domestic work so western women can focus on their jobs
• Tight-knit families eg. extended
• Empty nest (from the countries they are leaving)
• Mother-headed lone parent families (Afro-Caribbean)
• Bigger families at first - after 2-3 generation it comes closer to the country's norm (assimilation)

How is Migration linked to Globalisation?

• Growth of communication systems and media, creation of global markets, fall in communism, expansion of EU
• Superdiversity
• Transport - easier access to other countries, open to everyone not just the rich
• Easier to move across borders