INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION

Switzerland (Geneva) 51

1994 - VOLUME 32, NUMBER 3

96.51.1 - English - Cecilia MENJIVAR, Sociology/Social and Cultural Studies, University of California, Berkeley, CA (U.S.A.) Salvadorian migration to the United States in the 1980s. What can we learn about it and from it? (p. 371-401) The present article is based on a study of Salvadorian migration to the United States, consisting of a survey on 150 Salvadorian males and females of whom 40 were subjected to an in-depth interview. These data were complemented with ethnographical observations, by informal contacts with the members and leaders of this community and by interviews with social services officers. The author touches on three theoretical aspects of new trends in migration from Third World countries to the United States. She studies firstly the distinction between the political and economic motivations behind international migration, emphasising the fact that it is not easy to dissociate them. Then, she highlights the central role played by social networks in migration from those regions which have been shaken by political conflicts. Finally, she recommends great prudence in the use in this kind of analysis of the dynamics of social networks. These networks, which have been decisive in helping immigrants to settle in the United States, can either develop, diminish - or even disappear - depending on the specific context formed by various macro-structural and community factors in the host country. (UNITED STATES, EL SALVADOR, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS, SOCIAL ORGANIZATION)

96.51.2 - English - Hang-yue NGO, Department of Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) The economic role of immigrant wives in Hong Kong (p. 403-423) The study has three main objectives: to compare the structure of employment of Chinese immigrant wives with that of their peers born in Hong Kong; to study the effects of sociodemographic characteristics and of experiece with regard to assimilation on the behaviour of immigrant wives who arrive on the labour market; and to give an idea of the way in which they integrate the local labour market. Using the two main explanatory theories of immigrant employment structure, the theory of human capital and the thesis "ethnic origin / manpower / market", the author shows that the behaviour of immigrant married women with regard to employment can be explained as much by determinants related to human capital as by factors which are specific to the local employment market. The economic activity of a woman depends, to a great extent, on her length of stay in the country and on her husband's occupation. An immigrant married woman often changes jobs, within a framework of a long-term adaptation strategy of the family in the host country. (HONG KONG, CHINA, IMMIGRANTS, MARRIED WOMEN, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, MIGRANT ASSIMILATION)

96.51.3 - English - William ARP III, Department of Political Science, Louisiana State University (U.S.A.), and Sherrie L. BAVER, Department of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean Studies, City College of New York (U.S.A.)

Implementation of Congressional intent: A study of amnesty policy and the immigration and naturalization service (p. 425-444)

The 1986 American Law on the reform and control of immigration (IRCA) includes two main components: amnesty and sanctions against employers. This legislation was aimed at controlling the illegal immigrant population in the United States and at slowing down its growth. By examining the data for Arizona and New York, the authors study the role of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in the implementation of measures relative to amnesty. They show that, while the INS has managed the widest-ranging amnesty programme in its history, its restrictive interpretation of the legislator's intentions has, nevertheless, closed or reduced the access of numerous candidates who would have wished to become permanent residents. (UNITED STATES, IMMIGRATION POLICY, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS)

96.51.4 - English - Kosmas TSOKHAS, Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (Australia) Immigration and unemployment in Australia (p. 445-466) In the context of the recession in the 1980s, those who are against immigration upheld the thesis that, in a period where unemployment was increasing, immigrants were responsible for taking jobs from the countrys indigenous population. Using an Australian survey, the author believes that the problem of the effect of immigration on the labour market is often wrongly worded, insofar as the immigrants' participation rate in the labour force has been reduced to lower than that of locals. Net immigrants has also dropped following the decline in manpower demand while the number of immigrants who are not likely to move on to the labour market remained relatively stable. The Australian experience verifies the economic theory according to which the migrants create as many jobs as they take, even in periods of recession. But the unemployment rate of immigrants is higher than that of Australians. (AUSTRALIA, IMMIGRANT WORKERS, UNEMPLOYMENT, LABOUR MARKET)

96.51.5 - English - Michael JANDL, International Centre for Migration Policy Development, Vienne (Austria) Is migration supply- or demand-determined? Some remarks on the ideological use of economic language (p. 467-476)

In the debates on the potential of migration and on migratory pressure, it is, generally speaking, only the point of view of supply which is considered. But the concepts used in these discussions and these works are not greatly in touch with reality. Migration is spoken of as if it was only due to pressure from the side of supply and the determinants on the offer side are often ignored. That is why any discussions on the determinants of migration are so often debatable. The author attempts to re-establish the balance by clearly highlighting the demand variables in the migration equation. (THEORY, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS, SUPPLY AND DEMAND)

1994 - VOLUME 32, NUMBER 4

96.51.6 - English - Myra LEWINTER, Kerim GEZGIN and Selim S. KESMEZ, Center for Research and Development on Aging, Kommunehospital, Copenhague (Denmark) Elderly Turkish immigrants' access to and future use of health and social services in Copenhagen (p. 499-512) This study deals with the use of health and social services by elderly Turkish immigrants in Copenhagen and their future likelihood of using public assistance services for the elderly when they are in need. 116 Turkish immigrants aged over 55 were interviewed. During the year prior to the survey, 16% had spent time in hospital and 19% had consulted a specialist physician. During the previous month, 36% had consulted their family doctor (GP). Very few of them had benefited from any assistance from the public services. On the subject of being taken in charge in case of illness, the longer the illness in question was likely to last, the more they were likely to envisage use of the public services in order to obtain assistance, such as a home-help. In comparison with a group of elderly Danes who had been asked the same questions, the Turkish immigrants were more likely to count on their family's assistance and public services. The authors suggest several possible explanations and propose that their analysis should be extended to cover other aspects. (DENMARK, TURKEY, IMMIGRANTS, AGED, SOCIAL SECURITY, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

96.51.7 - English - Raisul Awal MAHMOOD, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Dhaka (Bangladesh) Adaptation to a new world: Experience of Bangladeshis in Japan (p. 513-532) Japan has become one of the favourite destinations for Bangladeshi emigrant workers. This preference can be largely explained by economic reasons: the wide gaps in income and savings prospects. But, since the Bangladeshis do not know Japanese society, culture or values very well, there are some highly important non-economic aspects to their adaptation process. The present article studies some of the problems encountered by Bangladeshi workers in Japan and analyses their adaptation process. The language barrier, the health and hygiene issues, the lack of communication with the indigenous population the ill-adapted accommodation and the constant fear of breaking the law are only some of the more serious problem with which they are confronted. And yet, their determination to work in order to feed their families is such that they manage progressive to adapt to their new environment. To the attraction of good pay can also be added the attraction they feel for some of the norms and values inherent to Japanese society. The youngest and better educated amongst them find it easier to adopt new ideas and new values. (JAPAN, BANGLADESH, IMMIGRANT WORKERS, MIGRANT ASSIMILATION, CULTURAL CONTACTS)

96.51.8 - English - Ayse KADIOGLU, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Bilkent University, Ankara (Turkey) The impact of migration on gender roles: Findings of field research in Turkey (p. 533-560) The author presents the results of a survey carried out in Turkey amongst migrant women who had returned to their country of origin and women who had remained alone in Turkey following their husband's emigration. One of the aims of this study was to go beyond the traditional analysis on women and labour migration, which underestimates geographical, ethnic, family and other specificities. The author therefore wished to highlight the relative importance of determinants such as marriage and family type, education level and experience of paid employment prior to emigration. The place of the woman in the migratory process varies greatly: it can be she who initiates emigration, who follows her emigrating husband or who remains at home alone, The author develops a graded typology of the various migration experiences women have lived through and highlights the influence that these various experiences can bring to bear on the roles respectively attributed to men and women. (TURKEY, EMIGRATION, WOMEN'S STATUS, SEX ROLES)

96.51.9 - English - K. GHIMIRE, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva (Switzerland) Refugees and deforestation (p. 561-570) The interaction between the phenomenon of refugees and that of deforestation in developing countries is the subject of this study. Deforestation and related environmental issues were sometimes there before the arrival of any refugees, but, in some cases, they have been made worse by the refugees, resulting in problems with food and conflicts with indigenous populations due to the loss of forestry resources. The author shows that, because of their official status and their low socio-economic level, refugees are amongst the most vulnerable of social groups in the rural regions and they are barely able to regenerate the forest and to manage natural resources long-term. While national and international agencies have an important part to play in the reduction of their immediate physical and economic insecurity, the long-term investments represented by re-forestation and restoration of the environment suppose that the refugees have access to the land and to employment. Above all, they must be totally integrated into the society of their host country. It would, unfortunately, appear that this objective is, generally speaking, inaccessible. (REFUGEES, DEFORESTATION, ENVIRONMENT, MIGRANT ASSIMILATION)

96.51.10 - English - Augustin BARBARA, DŽpartement de sociologie, UniversitŽ de Nantes (France) Mixed marriages. Somme key questions (p. 571-586) Research undertaken on couples in which the spouses belong to two different cultures (mixed marriages) make it possible to gain a better understanding of the traditional couple, particularly when issues such as conjugal relationships, crises, divorce and later conflicts are being dealt with. Out of the 2.8 million marriages celebrated in France from 1968 to 1974, 4.8% were mixed marriages, particularly frequent in the industrial centres. During the early yeas of their stay in France, immigrant men generally marry French women; later, once their close family has been permitted to join them, the proportion of marriages between people of the same nationality increases. Mixed marriages tend to increase in those societies with a high degree of geographical and social mobility. In those cases where the spouses have made this choice as a challenge to and against the wishes of their families and friends, it can end up in a divorce which costs far beyond their means. The author suggests that research should be undertaken on how to avoid violence in family conflicts, whether speaking in a mixed cultural context or not, and suggests wider ranging reflection on how to manage family conflicts. (FRANCE, MIXED MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, CONFLICTS)

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