Gender and Migration in Africa: Female Ethiopian Migration in Post-2008 Sudan

The article discusses the relatively new phenomenon of independent female migration in Africa. Prior to heightened education rates, African women migrated as part of a family. Now they are migrating on their own, in search of better work opportunities. The article examines the African migratory context in comparison to contemporary trends of labour migration around the world, including Asia. The article also reviews theoretical and methodological frameworks applied in current research on migration, particularly in conceptualizing female labour migration. The article concludes by focusing on the recent case of female Ethiopian workers migrating to Sudan to meet the demand for service jobs after an influx in international capital to the oil markets. The case study evaluates the varying degrees of vulnerability both legal and illegal migrants face.