What are the main negative impacts of rural to urban migration?
- Younger, fitter people leave meaning older people are left to do labour intensive work. This means the older population will become more susceptable to illness and injury as they are left to do the work the young people used to do. The life expectancy will be shortened.
What are some of the advantages of rural to urban migration?
- Migrants can send money back home to their families so they can lead a better life back home.
What are the effects of rural to urban migration on the cities?
- Cities in developing countries can’t cope with so many immigrants. Because there are not enough houses for everyone people build makeshift houses on wasteland around the edges or within the cities (squatter camps, shanty towns, favelas).
What are the effects of internal migration on the area of origin (losing population)?
- Loss of usually younger, skilled people, with a slightly higher proportion of males, often with higher education standards and potential initiatives.
- An age imbalance because of a residual population with a disproportionately larger number of elderly people left to tend the fields, leading to a potential decline in productivity.
What are the effects of internal migration on the area of destination (expanding population)?
- Housing problems as the government can’t afford to house all the new migrants and construction rates are much slower than the growth rates. This causes a rise in makeshift squatter camps with a lack of basic amenities which poses a problem for public health care.
- Additional infrastructure burdens are also placed on city authorities by increasing overcrowding on the already strained public transport systems.
- Some evidence suggests migrants may be responsible for an increase in crime. Migrants may also cause increased tension within communities because of cultural and linguistic differences.
- However, the migrants do provide a valuable contribution to the urban labour force and are willing to take jobs that urban dwellers refuse and are willing to accept lower wages.
What are the factors pushing people from developing countries to developed countries?
- Rural poverty - low paid farming jobs and few services; soil erosion; unreliable weather
- Urban poverty - poor housing; disease
- Unemployment - jobs cannot keep pace with growing population; machines taking over jobs done by people
What are the factors pulling people towards developed countries?
Hopes for - Better Education Better paid jobs Better chance of getting a job Better health services More amenities Better housing Government help (government may help people to emigrate)
What are the effects of international migration on the losing country?
- Lower population, meaning less workforce and older people are sometimes left.
- Decline in fertility rates as younger people leave.
- Gender imbalance which can cause family breakups as males migrate.
- Loses most active key workforce.
- More job opportunities for the people who remain.
What are the effects of international migration on the gaining country?
e. g. Poland to Scotland
1. More willing workforce to do the jobs natives don’t want to do.
2. Migrants will live where native people don’t want to live.
3. Possible overcrowding, leading to lack of housing meaning increased illegal shanty towns.
4. Possible increased segregation (racial and religious) within the country.
5. It needs to provide more services for the extra people.
What are the causes of forced migration?
e. g. Syria
1. War
- bombings destroy cities
- horrific human rights violations are widespread
- thousands of people have been killed, kidnapped tortured, raped
- basic necessities like food and medical care are sparse
- Over 4 million people have been left homeless
- Much of the countries infrastructure and essential services have been destroyed
- Thousands of people are unemployed
- It is impossible to lead a normal life
