A newly published open access article in Development in Practice offers important insights into how migration is challenging and reshaping gender norms among young people in Ethiopia.
Drawing on research with migrant youth in Addis Ababa, former ACRC postdoc Elizabeth Dessie explores how everyday experiences of migration are producing both shifts in gender roles and strong reactions against them.
“Unsettling the (dis)order: youth migration and the subversion of gender norms in Ethiopia” highlights that changes to gender norms change in rapidly urbanising contexts is neither straightforward nor uniformly progressive. Instead, it is complex, uneven and deeply shaped by structural inequalities.
Migration as a driver of gender norm change
Over the past two decades, Ethiopia has seen more women and girls accessing education and participating in the labour force. At the same time, rural–urban migration has become a key livelihood strategy for young people seeking opportunities in cities. Some women also move to Addis Ababa after working in Gulf States.
This research shows that migration is a critical site where gender norms are being renegotiated. For young women, moving to Addis Ababa often creates new possibilities to earn an income, support family members and make independent decisions about their lives.
However, these shifts do not happen in isolation from existing social and economic constraints.
Women’s agency in contexts of precarity
The findings highlight how migrant women develop strategies to navigate difficult urban environments, often characterised by informal work, instability and exposure to exploitation.
For many, earning an income represents a significant transformation in their sense of self and autonomy. Yet this agency is shaped by necessity as much as opportunity. Women’s pathways into income generation frequently involve highly precarious activities, including street-based work and, in some cases, sex work.
This underscores a key policy implication: women’s economic participation in cities should not automatically be equated with empowerment. Structural vulnerabilities remain central to their experiences.
Marginalisation of men and the backlash against change
Alongside these changes for women, the study documents growing frustration among young migrant men. Limited employment opportunities and economic insecurity make it difficult for many to fulfil their traditional, socially expected roles as providers.
In this context, women’s increasing economic independence is often perceived as disruptive. Some men interpret these shifts as evidence of a breakdown in social and cultural norms, calling for a return to more traditional gender roles.
Urban informality and gendered inequalities
The research also draws attention to how urban informal economies reproduce gender inequalities. Women are frequently confined to more marginal and less secure forms of work, while facing stigma and limited protection.
At the same time, existing policy responses – such as employment initiatives – often fail to reach migrant populations, particularly women working informally and those without formal residency status. This leaves some of the most vulnerable groups effectively invisible in policy frameworks.
Rethinking responses: Beyond simple narratives of empowerment
A key contribution of this new research is its challenge to simplified narratives. Migration can expand opportunities for women and contribute to shifts in gender norms, but it can also trigger resistance and reinforce existing inequalities.
For urban development policy and practice, this points to the need for more integrated approaches that:
> Address the structural drivers of youth marginalisation;
> Support inclusive employment opportunities for both young women and men;
> Engage with masculinities as part of gender-transformative programming;
> Recognise and protect the rights of migrant populations in informal economies.
As cities across Africa continue to grow, youth migration will remain a defining feature of urban change. This study shows that understanding how migration intersects with gender norms is critical for building more inclusive and equitable urban futures.
Rather than assuming that urbanisation will naturally lead to progressive social change, the findings call for deliberate, gender-sensitive policies that address both economic opportunity and social norms together.
Read more:
- Read the full, open access journal article: Unsettling the (dis)order: youth migration and the subversion of gender norms in Ethiopia
- Read Elizabeth Dessie’s blog post featuring the stories of young female migrants to Addis Ababa
- Read ACRC’s domain report on youth and capability development, co-authored by Elizabeth Dessie
Header photo credit: afhunta / Getty Images (via Canva Pro). View of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
Note: This article presents the views of the authors featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.
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