Current Reflections Regarding Women’s Participation in Mexico-United States Migration: Moving Towards a Quantitative Feminization of Migration?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to offer a statistical approach to the debate on the feminization of the MexicoUnited States migration process. For this, the flows or the “stock” of the Mexican migration of the last decade from different statistical sources available both in Mexico and in the United States are presented. The review suggests that women have historically been part of male migration, but unfortunately they have been poorly attended by scholars and when they did they were considered only as companions, relegating them to a secondary role in the migration process. However, as of the 1980s, the migration of women becomes an undeniable fact. Since then, more and more work began to be carried out from various disciplinary and theoretical perspectives that claimed the participation of Mexican women in international migration processes. This is evidenced by the analysis of the results of the recent decade, now more and more women are migrating autonomously in search of better employment opportunities and better living conditions for their families.