ABSTRACT

This chapter begins with the role of gender within migration and how it impacts outcomes both abroad and upon return. Gender incorporates the social constructions and conceptions that have developed around each of the sexes. Network Theory has also been criticized for its lack of gender awareness, focusing on networks that were established and maintained by male migrants. Although Ethiopia is a country characterised by relatively low emigration rates, its sizeable population of million makes its absolute number of emigrants large, with an estimated 620,000 Ethiopians currently living abroad. Within the IS Academy: Migration and Development Survey sample, of the Ethiopian women working in the Middle East were employed as domestic workers. The drivers for Ethiopian emigration are further fueled by new emerging markets for migrant labour in the Middle East. Ethiopian women migrate in large numbers to countries such as Saudi Arabia or the UAE to perform domestic and care-giving work.