Analysing the role of Caribbean migrant women

The Caribbean has one of the highest emigration rates of skilled and tertiary-educated individuals in the world. Women account for a large percentage of these individuals. In the United States alone, women make up 55 percent of the estimated four million Caribbean people residing there. 

The latest ECLAC study underscores the importance of promoting gender equality and improving women’s overall standards of living. In this regard, it addresses the need to improve the access of all women in the Caribbean, including migrants and returnees to more varied skill development, better jobs, education, and entrepreneurship opportunities.

The joint study also makes a series of recommendations for policy and programme implementation through a rights-based approach, using legal and normative frameworks, statistics and awareness raising activities and capacity-building. The study suggests measures to promote legal aid and administrative assistance to women on such issues as travel documents and work contracts, as well as precautions to guard against physical, psychological and socioeconomic abuse.

From the prospective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, this study offers practical actions relevant to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to be adopted later this year.