Lacking hope for a successful future, eighty percent of young adults in Central America decide at an early age to migrate, seeing no other viable options for transitioning into adulthood after finishing school. According to CARA research shared at the 2024 Migration Conference this summer, this belief is shared similarly across gender yet differs as women and men have different views on what a good future means where they live.
Hosted by Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, the Migration Conference is an academic forum for international researchers, scholars, and policymakers. Estela Rivero, co-director of CARA and expert on the issue of gender in migration, spoke at the event’s Gender and Migration roundtable. She presented statistics from a study conducted on children, young adults, and adults in Honduras and El Salvador, focusing on gender differences affecting migration plans. This research is crucial in analyzing the largest growing group of migrants—women—and is one of the few projects exploring gender as a critical variable in migration issues in Central America. The study revealed the intention to migrate is influenced by individual perceptions of how promising a future is in any given country. This correlates with feelings of belonging, especially for women. From as young as 11 years old, six out of 10 have already decided they want to migrate, with that number growing as women age.
“What can we do to make them feel like they have a home in their own country?” Rivero asked.
She emphasized the importance of stability and creating opportunities for hope in Central America. By understanding the nuanced needs and aspirations of individuals, particularly those who feel compelled to leave their homes, Rivero believes environments can be fostered where people see a promising future in their communities. The next phase of study will explore what enables those most likely to migrate to envision that hopeful future. CARA researchers plan to collect drawings made by about 10,000 young people between 11 and 16 in Ecuador and Honduras to begin identifying those factors.
Originally published in the Pulte Institute 2023-24 Annual Review.