Migration Processes

Section 2

Learning outcomes

What is migration Various forms of migration Gross and net migration Migration processes- why do people

move? What groups of people tends to move-

migration stream

Mobility Circulation and Migration People are constantly on the move: To work Holiday New house New country All movement is mobility Circulation is used to describe the trips and

journeys which return to the place from which they started e.g. holiday

Migration is a single trip, a permanent change of residence

Types of migration

Internal migration: movement within a country Inter-regional: movement from region to region

within a country Inter-urban: movement within a town Rural-urban: from countryside to town Urban- rural (counterurbanisation): town to

countryside International: movement from country to country

Gross and net migration

Gross migration counts all flows: it is the total number of people who emigrate and immigrate

E.g. a country could lose 10,000 a year and gain 6,000. these are gross figures

Net migration: is the balance between the out and in migration.

E.g. above: this would therefore be 10,000-6,000= 4,000

Migration processes

Barriers to migration- things which may stand in the way of moving e.g. money, unsure of new life??

Sponsored migration: assisted packages for migration e.g. Australia paid £10 during the 1950/60s to British migrants encouraging them to move

Push and pull factors

Push factors- problems migrants may have in their current place of residence

e.g war, famine, refugees, ethnic cleansing ( Rwanda, former Yugoslavia)

Pull factors- factors which attract migrants towards their destination

E.g. jobs, better housing, education

Economic factors

People leave for the chances of a better job, a chance of making money.

Controversy in recent years of movement from LEDCs to MEDCs. E.g. Mexicans to USA. Illegal immigrants/ clandestine migrants, asylum seekers (e.g current situation at Calais, France)

Skilled migrants are sometimes called invisible migrants as they have good jobs and do not form ethnic clusters or cause problems

Social factors

One example is joining other family members- current EU situation

This is also known as chain migration, male comes first, family members follow

Cultural factors

Migrants try to join a group that share their religion, language and other cultural traits

E.g. in the UK in Leicester, there are mosques and temples for Asian religions and shops, cinemas etc

Political factors

Colonialism saw many people move across the globe.

There are lots of Europeans in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada

They bring with them their own cultures, economies etc

Physical factors

Areas with a poor resource base, troubled with an unattractive environment, climate, vulnerable to storms, earthquakes etc tend to lose people

E.g. Island of Montserrat- most of population left in 1990s due to volcanic eruption. These people are known as environmental refugees

Migration streams

Sometimes many people decide to make similar migrations- this is called mass migration

55 million left Europe for new world destinations up until 1914.

The many people involved in such migrations took similar opportunities to relocate and this set up a migration stream.

Ireland to USA would be an international stream North of England to London would be internal

migration stream

Composition of migration streams Permanent settlers, refugees, skilled

labour, economic migrants, retirees, arranged brides

Mainly they are young adults with no ties, mainly male.

Often families migrate in stages, the man first, then the wife and children

In LEDCs a lot of women are migrating to work in towns in TNC plants etc.

Composition of migration streams (continued) Migrants may also be selected by socio-

economic class There is not however 1 class that is prone to

migration, but class differentials depend on circumstances

E.g. migration of Scots from the Scottish Highlands to North America was described as “shovelling out the paupers”

Today- a lot of migration is by skilled/qualified migrants