Outmigration and gender balance in Greenland

Abstract

Research on Alaska has established a pattern of disproportionate outmigration by young adult females from Native villages and towns. Consequently, smaller villages tend to have more young adult Native men than women; the reverse holds true in Alaskan cities. Such migration reflects gender differences in opportunities and also in perceptions regarding the relative attractions of life in small and larger communities. For this article, we replicate parts of the Alaskan research using demographic data on Greenland. A broadly similar pattern of female outmigration emerges, of equal or greater scale. We also find differences in the details, however, corresponding to unique aspects of Greenland's communities, policies, and recent history.

Department

Sociology

Publication Date

1996

Journal Title

Arctic Anthropology

Publisher

University of Wisconsin

Document Type

Article

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