Conclusion: Policy Considerations for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

When I first developed the idea for this book in 1996, I envisioned a tool that could be used not only by scholars of international migration, but also by those who were responsible for formulating and implementing policy that would affect women who migrate. It has been noted that most of the world’s refugees are female (DeLaet, this volume; Kelly 1993). In the United States, for example, ‘about one half of the immigrants admitted … for permanent residence were women’ between fiscal years 1983 and 1993 (Johnson, 1995). Because of this factor, we can no longer ignore how women are affected by international migration. The authors who have contributed to this volume have attempted to show many of the aspects of how international migration affect the lives of women.