The Geographic Dispersion of Female Mexican Migration to the United States, 1985 to 2005

Mark A. Leach, Southern Illinois University

The geographic dispersion of Mexican migration to new destinations in the United States is no longer news to social scientists. Yet, research on the role of women in the geographic dispersion of Mexican migration is virtually nonexistent. What role did women play in the rapid growth of migration flows into non-traditional destinations? Has settlement in new destinations contributed to change in the gender dynamics of Mexican migration? Preliminary results show the multidimensional nature of female migration to non-traditional destination states. Female migrants are not homogeneous with respect to their individual and household characteristics nor in terms of the kinds of places in which they settled. At the very least, such results indicate that Mexican women likely migrate for reasons other than simply to reunite with spouses as is often assumed. Predictive models test the importance of such characteristics both in the timing of women’s migration and their locational choices.