A comparative gender analysis of Nigerian migrant networks in Umhlathuze Municipality in South Africa

Abstract

Globally, few studies have looked at how gendered migration is not only in terms of migration patterns, but also in terms of networks that sustain and aid integration into host communities. In Africa for example, the rarity of a gender-focused analysis of migration studies leaves a gap in literature which should be filled. This would be particularly useful in understanding African immigration to South Africa which is the most attractive destination point of Africans migrating within the continent.  Questions that can be researched in this regard include what would a gender disaggregated analysis of the demographic profile of African migrants to South  Africa would look like? Do women and men have different motivating factors for  migrating? Do female “strangers”/migrants have more convivial relationships than their male counterparts? Overall, does gender impact on the integration of migrants into the host community? To answer these questions, this paper used Gilroy’s  discourse on conviviality and the theory of core-focused feminism to do a gender  disaggregated analysis of the results of a previous study which investigated diverse networks/ties between 36 Nigerian migrants and 36 South African citizens in a  small town (Empangeni) in Umhlathuze Municipality1. The paper found that female immigrants are more disposed to have host members within their personal networks due to the kinds of activities they engage in and the people they meet through such activities. Therefore, female migrants are more likely to integrate into the host community when compared to their male counterparts and this is as a result of their predisposition to care, which is strength rather than a weakness in the journey of integration.

Keywords: Conviviality, Core-focused feminism, Migration, South Africa, Women.