South African Migration Policy: A Gendered Analysis

The policy brief argues that South Africa's 2017 White Paper on International Migration (WPIM) neglects the 'feminisation of migration,' leaving women migrants vulnerable to exploitation and violence. While women's migration to South Africa has quadrupled since 1990, current legislation remains gender-neutral, failing to address gender-specific drivers or the economic potential of women's remittances and entrepreneurship. The author highlights risks in the informal sector and the potential for human rights violations in proposed border processing centres, urging the government to adopt gender-disaggregated data and targeted protection strategies.

• The 2017 White Paper on International Migration (WPIM) fails to address gender-specific dimensions of migration, mentioning women only twice in 81 pages and ignoring how gender shapes migration drivers and experiences.
• South Africa has seen a significant increase in female migration, with the number of international women migrants growing from 519,315 in 1990 to 1,007,320 in 2013. By 2017, South Africa had the highest share of mixed women migrants in Africa at 1.8 million.
• Women migrants in South Africa face severe vulnerabilities, including a higher likelihood of forced labour and sex trafficking than men. Women constitute 70% of trafficking victims in the country.
• Female migrants are disproportionately represented in the informal, domestic, and agricultural sectors due to a lack of legal visa pathways. In South Africa, male migrants have a 56% higher probability of finding employment than women.
• Women's migration offers significant development potential through remittances, as women economic migrants typically send a higher proportion of their income for longer periods than men.
• The WPIM's proposal for border processing centres raises human rights and safety concerns, particularly regarding reproductive healthcare, childcare, and the risk of male guards patrolling female quarters at night.

APA

FARLEY, A. (2019). South African Migration Policy: A Gendered Analysis. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Policy-Insights-70-farley.pdf

Chicago

FARLEY, ALEX. South African Migration Policy: A Gendered Analysis. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Policy-Insights-70-farley.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=FARLEY |first1=ALEX |title=South African Migration Policy: A Gendered Analysis |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Policy-Insights-70-farley.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{farley2019south, author = {FARLEY, ALEX}, title = {{South African Migration Policy: A Gendered Analysis}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Policy-Insights-70-farley.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }