The Gendered Impact of Migration on Rural Communities in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Implications for Rural Development Interventions

This paper will provide a broad overview of migration patterns in the region and discuss how these patterns affect gender relations in rural communities, and the implications for rural development interventions. The diversity of the region and the lack of systematic research means that clear regional patterns cannot be identified. However, lessons can be derived from specific research on some countries in the region, and the findings of research in other global regions. In addition the paper will draw on two case study projects from rural areas in the region characterised by significant out-migration, on which the author worked (‘Eco-lan’, an initiative to develop organic agriculture in Ukraine, and ‘COSWA’, a project implemented by the International Organization for Migration in Azerbaijan, designed to mitigate push factors for economic migration from the region by promoting rural development). On the basis of these case study projects and review of other research, the paper will focus on a number of issues related to migration and its gendered impacts. These are summarised briefly below