DUBAI, UAE, June 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Authors urge greater action to
harness positive economic impact of expatriate
women
Labor migration has led to an increase in the independence of
women and their influence over household decisions, but more could
be done to harness the positive impact these women have, according
to a research paper sponsored by The Western Union Company released
today.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130515/613588 )
The paper, 'Women Migrants, Remittances and Their Impact in the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region', was authored by Dr
Ismail Hakki Genc, Professor of
Economics, and Dr George Naufal,
Assistant Professor of Economics, at the American University of Sharjah. It examined macroeconomic indicators
and available research on women workers in the Middle East as well as in other regions.
"At Western Union, we have seen that the empowerment of women is
an important driver in improving the welfare of families and
communities around the world, both in places abroad where they work
and in their home countries," said Sobia Rahman, Western
Union's Regional Vice President for Gulf, Pakistan & Afghanistan Western Union. "The
research paper released today shows that in the Middle East, in particular, there is great
potential to unlock the positive impact that women can make."
The paper found that women have become increasingly independent
when it comes to financial matters, both in the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) states where they have gone to work and in their home
countries when their husbands work overseas.
Key findings:
- Women are more reliable than men when remitting funds to their
families back home. In 2008 we found that over 12 months, the mean
remittances of female expatriate workers in Dubai were almost AED 2,000 more than the
remittances of male expatriates.
- Women tend to allocate more resources to support family living
expenses and human capital, compared with their male counterparts,
who tend to focus on building physical capital.
- Women are also more likely to act as a safety net for their
family back home during emergencies and bad economic times. Some 52
per cent of female expatriates in Dubai allocate a portion of their overall
remittances for such eventualities, compared with just 5 percent of
all expatriate workers.
Dr Genc said: "Women's spending and remittance habits are skewed
toward the build-up of human capital, one of the most effective
means of driving economic development."
Recommendations
The report highlighted that many women are employed in unskilled
jobs incommensurate with their education levels. For example,
almost 60 per cent of female expatriate workers in Dubai hold a university degree or higher
graduate degree. This suggests that highly educated women should be
supported by their home and host countries to reach their full
potential, the report said.
Some 78 per cent of female expatriate remitters in Dubai send money home to the older generations
of their families. This suggests that host country policies that
unite families would have a significant impact on women and stem
the outflow of remittances from the GCC.
The authors also recommended that women be given more of a voice
in family financial decisions by having more access to family
resources. Moreover, the role that female migrants play in
promoting economic development in their countries of origin should
be recognized and policies put in place in their home countries to
promote this.
"Well-designed policies - which could include support groups, as
well as opportunities and facilities for expatriates to observe
cultural traditions and celebrations - would attract workers, raise
the status of the host country and increase global economic
efficiency by reducing unemployment," Dr Naufal said. "Through
these measures, the positive impact of expatriate women in both
their home and host countries would increase significantly."
Western Union launches Facebook
campaign
In conjunction with the release of the research paper, Western
Union is inviting expatriate women to share their stories of
success in their host countries while supporting their families.
Entries will be accepted on the Women Icons Facebook page, and
vocational training courses will be awarded to the authors of the
top three stories.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global
payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago
Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment
services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with
fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around
the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of
December 31 2012, the Western Union,
Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a
combined network of approximately 510,000 agent locations in 200
countries and territories. In 2012, The Western Union Company
completed 231 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide,
moving $79 billion of principal
between consumers, and 432 million business payments. For more
information, visit http://www.westernunion.com.
SOURCE Western Union