Poverty, occupational mobility and urban migration of women in Metro Manila and Metro Davao

Nimfa B. Ogena, University of the Philippines

The effect of urbanward migration on occupational transitions of women in the Philippines is examined using the 2000 Migration and Environment Survey in Metro Manila and Metro Davao. A binary logistic regression model on occupational shift from blue- collar to white-collar occupations, as proxy for upward occupational mobility, are estimated. Possible explanatory factors examined are individual human capital, family resources and demographic characteristics, namely: whether the respondent has college or more education, age and marital status at the time of her move to the metro area, economic reason for moving, father’s and mother’s occupation, whether she moved alone or with her family to MM/MD, marital status prior to her move to metro area, her social connections prior to the move with people at the metro area, and being a recipient of assistance from family and friends at the urban destination, with poverty status as a control variable.