Sociology Institute: labour migration of Belarusians influenced by gender stereotypes
In modern society, people often change their place of residence if they receive a better job offer. At the same time, labour migration is influenced by a variety of factors, at least an assessment of the benefits and costs of possible territorial relocation. However, according to the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Belarus, another factor is also strong in the public consciousness of Belarusians: gender.
“One of the directions of the National Action Plan for Gender Equality in the Republic of Belarus for 2021-2025 is the study of the distribution of gender roles in the family and identification of associated stereotypes, as well as media coverage of various aspects of this issue,” says Alesya Solovei, a researcher at the Centre for Monitoring the Migration of Research and Pedagogical Staff, Chairperson of the Council of Young Scientists at the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences’ Sociology Institute. “When studying migration processes, an important practical point is the study of ideas about the social roles of men and women, their ‘status-role’ set in society, as well as the cultivation of these roles in culture and mass consciousness.”
According to the specialist, the opinions of men and women regarding gender stereotypes that influence the possibilities of labour migration differ in the Belarusians’ public consciousness – as confirmed by sociological data obtained during the nationwide public opinion monitoring.
“Using a representative sample, 1,847 respondents were interviewed (including 43.4 percent men and 56.6 percent women),” comments Alesya Solovei. “Almost half of Belarusians – 49.4 percent – believe that ‘the presence of minor children reduces the opportunities for labour migration of women’. At the same time, both men and women think so equally: 50.1 percent and 48.8 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the share of Belarusians who agree that ‘the presence of minor children reduces the migration labour opportunities of men’ is two times lower: 24.3 percent. The share of those who agree with this opinion is 1.5 times higher among men than among women: 30.8 percent and 19.3 percent, accordingly. 38.5 percent of those polled disagree with this statement. Among those who disagree, the share of women is higher than the share of men: 43.0 percent and 32.7 percent, respectively. Every third Belarusian – 30.0 percent – believes that ‘women are less inclined to participate in labour migration processes than men’. Among those who agree with these statements, the proportion of men is higher than that of women: 33.3 percent and 27.6 percent, respectively. More women than men do not support this stereotype: 34.6 percent against 26.5 percent.
At the same time, the specialist believes that differences in the family responsibilities of men and women, the assignment of certain gender roles to them, as well as attitudes regarding participation in raising children can potentially act as both a deterrent and a motivator for the migration labour intentions of men and women.
