Male migration, women left behind, and sexually transmitted diseases in Armenia

Type Journal Article - International Migration Review
Title Male migration, women left behind, and sexually transmitted diseases in Armenia
Author(s)
Volume 44
Issue 2
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2010
Page numbers 354-375
URL http://agadjanian.org/uploads/3/0/8/5/3085008/sevoyan__agadjanian_male_migration_and_stds_in_armenia​.pdf
Abstract
The effect of male circular labor migration on risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among women left behind has not been well studied. Our study examines this effect using data from a survey of 1,240 married women in rural Armenia, where international male labor migration has traditionally been very common. A multivariate comparison of women married to migrants and women married to non-migrants finds that the former, ceteris paribus, reported more STD symptoms, on average, and were more likely to report diagnosed STDs than the latter. However, in the case of STD symptoms, this effect is moderated by household income, as the predicted number of STD symptoms reported by migrants’ wives increases as income rises. The findings illustrate the complex tradeoffs that migration entails for left-behind women and are interpreted in the context of the literature on gender, migration, and STDs

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