Female Internal Migration: The case of Peru

Abstract: The purpose of this study has been to provide a comprehensive analysis of the socioeconomic situation of migrant women in the context of Peru, a country historically marked by internal migration rates. It has been found that migrant women are socially excluded in relation to three socioeconomic indicators (1) employment sector, (2) educational attainment and (3) healthcare coverage, predominantly in the latter. Moreover, through the application of the theory of social mechanisms, the underlying factors that perpetuate the reproduction of the social exclusion of these women were thoroughly analyzed, where explanations at the macro level, namely, the overall social downgrading of rural population and the persistent centralization in the country, as well as the micro level; namely, the migrant status and rural background of these women have operated as the explanatory factors behind the social exclusion of these women, portraying discriminatory practices in the capital city of Peru.