GETTING TEACHER MIGRATION & MOBILITY RIGHT
Gender, Status and Identity Although we cannot generalise these survey results, they represent the only global survey of migrant teachers and the largest known numbers of respondents to a survey of migrant teachers to date. As such, they provide valuable new insights on migrant teacher demographics, their motivations, rewards, and challenges. This data builds upon and largely reinforces previous research exploring cross-cutting themes that affect all immigrants, particularly those that relate to gender, status, and identity. Gender Women account for an increasing proportion of international migrants and constituted close to half of the world’s migrants in 2005.25 This corresponds to an overall increase of female participation in the workforce in recent decades. A 2010 study of teacher migration from South Africa was among the first to document married women moving for their own careers.26 It found that married teachers were leaving South Africa without their spouses or children, citing their careers and the economic advancement of their households as reasons for moving. A recent report released by the Australian Education Union (AEU) similarly identifies female-dominated flows among migrant teachers moving both into and out of Australia. Seventy three per cent of immigrant teacher survey respondents in Australia were female, as was 59 per cent of Australian emigrant teacher respondents.27 Although the authors do not report on teacher motivations by gender, overall, professional factors feature highly in a teacher’s decision to seek work abroad. Of immigrants, 20 per cent reported that they wanted to teach in Australia out of commitment to their chosen career and 17 per cent reported better resources and professional development as a primary factor. Meanwhile, 66 per cent of Australian emigrants reported that a desire to have an overseas work/life experience influenced their decision to teach abroad. The results of this global teacher survey reinforce these findings. Sixty nine per cent of survey respondents were female and 67 per cent of female teachers indicated that their main motivations were professional development or a chance to see the world. As Manik wrote, “If the process of migration is linked to the decision-making power of females, their movement could indicate an increase in women’s power”.28 Notably, Indian migrant teachers’ experiences differ in our survey. Of Indian female survey respondents, 44 per cent indicated that they migrated abroad to accompany their husband.
25 26 27 28
ILO, “In Search of Decent Work”, 2008. Manik, “Transnational Teacher Migration Trends”, 2010. Reid, Collins, Singh “Global Teachers, Australian Perspectives”, 2014. Ibid.
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