“migration Has a Positive Effect on the Source (losing) Country as Well as on the Destination (host) Country”

“Migration has a positive effect on the source (losing) country as well as on the destination (host) country”

Discuss [15 marks]

People migrate for a number of reasons. Migration can be voluntary or forced, temporary or permanent, national or international. Population movements are driven and sustained by push and pull factors. Push factors are features of the home area which create pressure and therefore cause people to move away. Examples of these may include persecution, unemployment or poverty. Pull factors, on the other hand, are places outside of the migrant’s home area to attract them to a new location. This could be because of a promotion or high living standards in another area.

Migration affects both the area of origin and the area of destination. The effects of migration are social, economic and political. Social costs for the source country may include the marriage rates falling as usually more of the same generation migrate which can leave a disproportionate number of females behind. This departure of males and young families can cause a loss of cultural leadership and tradition and family structures can also break down. However social benefits could also include the population density being reduced, therefore the breath rate in turn decreasing as younger adults migrate. Remittances are also sent home by economic migrants which can finance improved education and health facilities. Returning retired migrants increase the social expectations in the community. An example of this is an increase of demand for better leisure facilities.

In the destination country however the dominance of males is reinforced, especially in countries where the status of women is low, for example in the Persian Gulf states. Migration can also lead to aspects of cultural identity being lost and segregated areas of similar ethnic groups. For example schools can become dominated by migrant children, which could cause conflict between the locals and the migrants. Conflict can also be caused by migrants being perceived as ‘stealing’ all the jobs in the host country.