The relationship between education and migration has been consistent across many cultures and societies; the more education one has, the more likely one is to move. This relationship provides evidence for the human capital of migration theory, which posits that individuals act rationally by moving if they determine that there will be a positive net income return for them eventually. The theory is criticized for not considering familial reasons for moving and not addressing how gender norms and expectations impact a man's decision to migrate versus a woman's. However, the criticism does not help sociologists and demographers understand the gender differences in the relationship between socioeconomic fulfillment and the timing of migration after one has completed education. If educated individuals are very likely to move after education completion, does the timing of this move affect their long-term socioeconomic status? When do people move relative to the completion of their education? Do educated women face delayed migration? And if so, does the delay significantly hinder their social and economic development compared to men? Using individual life history calendars from the 2002 and 2004 Population and Environment Surveys of Central Region, Ghana, I conduct discrete-time event history analysis to answer these questions. I find that individuals who move soon after education completion have higher socioeconomic status compared to those who delayed such a move. There is no evidence to suggest that there is a difference between how a delay in migration after education completion affects educated men and women. The results make a contribution by suggesting that understanding the timing of moves can help us understand different socioeconomic outcomes for people who have ever moved. Collecting data more focused on economic outcomes would be constructive for additional analyses to assess whether the timing of such a move impacts men and women differently socioeconomically.
Buszin, Justin M.,
"Gender Differences in Education and the Timing of Migration in Ghana"
(2010).
Sociology Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z01C1V37
