Migration has been a constant in global history, and mothers, together with the rest of humanity, have always migrated. However, the role of women in [Page 767]migration, and consequently that of mothers, lay obscured until the 1980s as a result of a male bias in migration research. Over the last three decades, women's role in migration has been rediscovered and is now receiving ample attention.

Migration involves the geographical displacement of people from their habitual place of residence. There are various types of migration, which are differentiated on the basis of the length of time the individual spends away from her home (permanent/temporary migration; circular migration; seasonal migration); the reason for migration (such as migration for work, education, or family reunification); the degree of freedom involved ...