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Outward migration from large cities: are older migrants in Nairobi ‘returning’?

Outward migration from large cities: are older migrants in Nairobi ‘returning’?
Outward migration from large cities: are older migrants in Nairobi ‘returning’?
Circular and return migrations between rural and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa have persisted over time, driven by a combination of socio-cultural, economic, and structural forces. Much of the literature on migration in Africa focuses on labour migration. However, old age also marks a stage in the life course often associated with migration. This paper examined the determinants of out-migration among older people living in the slums of Nairobi. The paper used a prospective population study of 2,270 older people, followed up over a 3-year period. The annual rate of out-migration was 4%. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to model the effect of ties to place and to socio-economic capital on propensity to out-migrate. The presence of adult children outside the city was a significant pull factor for both men and women. The propensity to out-migrate decreased with length of residence in the slum. Attachment to the slum through participation in voluntary communal activities was also negatively associated with out-migration, particularly for men. The poorest older people were more likely to leave the city, highlighting the effect of deprivation in triggering return migration. Looking at future migration intentions, only one in five older people reported that they intend to relocate from the slums, highlighting that, in the future, there will be a growing number of people ageing ‘in situ’ in poor urban areas. This has implications for policy makers concerned with the provision of services to vulnerable older people who may be unable to engage in livelihood strategies as health deteriorates with age.
return migration, sub-saharan africa, urban slums, older people
1544-8444
327-343
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria
4a386fed-03ca-4791-827a-ec7a7950530c
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria
4a386fed-03ca-4791-827a-ec7a7950530c
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28

Falkingham, Jane, Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria and Evandrou, Maria (2012) Outward migration from large cities: are older migrants in Nairobi ‘returning’? Population, Space and Place, 18 (3), 327-343. (doi:10.1002/psp.678).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Circular and return migrations between rural and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa have persisted over time, driven by a combination of socio-cultural, economic, and structural forces. Much of the literature on migration in Africa focuses on labour migration. However, old age also marks a stage in the life course often associated with migration. This paper examined the determinants of out-migration among older people living in the slums of Nairobi. The paper used a prospective population study of 2,270 older people, followed up over a 3-year period. The annual rate of out-migration was 4%. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to model the effect of ties to place and to socio-economic capital on propensity to out-migrate. The presence of adult children outside the city was a significant pull factor for both men and women. The propensity to out-migrate decreased with length of residence in the slum. Attachment to the slum through participation in voluntary communal activities was also negatively associated with out-migration, particularly for men. The poorest older people were more likely to leave the city, highlighting the effect of deprivation in triggering return migration. Looking at future migration intentions, only one in five older people reported that they intend to relocate from the slums, highlighting that, in the future, there will be a growing number of people ageing ‘in situ’ in poor urban areas. This has implications for policy makers concerned with the provision of services to vulnerable older people who may be unable to engage in livelihood strategies as health deteriorates with age.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 12 July 2011
Published date: May 2012
Keywords: return migration, sub-saharan africa, urban slums, older people
Organisations: Social Statistics

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 193617
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/193617
ISSN: 1544-8444
PURE UUID: 72d18bd2-639a-47a7-b44d-caa790c4ad94
ORCID for Jane Falkingham: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7135-5875
ORCID for Gloria Chepngeno-Langat: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6782-363X
ORCID for Maria Evandrou: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2115-9358

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Date deposited: 18 Jul 2011 07:43
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:24

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Contributors

Author: Jane Falkingham ORCID iD
Author: Gloria Chepngeno-Langat ORCID iD
Author: Maria Evandrou ORCID iD

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