In most cases, people have come to the conclusion that migration is a recent phenomenon which is otherwise not the case as it has been a feature that has been prominent in the existence of humans for several centuries now. Human beings have constantly migrated both as individuals and also as groups for purposes of seeking freedom from conflict, escaping poverty, as well as, hunger, finding new employments and other economic opportunities, fleeing from political repression and even religious intolerance. It is in this regard that the following article will present a discussion on the history of international migration, particularly on the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. (Striking-women.org, 2016)
Fauri (2014) writes that the migration in Europe occurred during the time considered as the modern period since different religious groupings such as the Huguenots, and the Jews were constantly escaping the prevalent persecution from their home countries. Besides, there were those that migrated for various economic reasons e.g. farmers were on a constant move to find employment in the newly setup industries. (Ryan and Webster, 2008, p. 2) It is also in this period between the seventeenth and the eighteenth century that there was the prevalence of seasonal migration which is otherwise a term used in referring to people going to other countries and coming back to their home nations on an annual basis. Africa was also not left behind as it also had an extensive history of migration dating back to the colonial times in the continent.
In this period, there was widespread international economic migration. This was largely because of the several developments that were continually being witnessed in different parts of the world. In part, multiple industries were coming up and, as a result, people migrated into the associated localities in such of employment opportunities. (Bravo-Moreno, 2006, P. 163) There was also the idea of trade playing a significant role in the people’s mobility. Well established trade routes culminated to an increase in economic migration on an international basis.
Notably, many people migrated into the United Kingdom because of its strong trading power which otherwise opened several opportunities for the immigrants. In fact, in the period as mentioned above i.e. the 17th and 18th centuries, it was estimated that about ten thousand people living in the United Kingdom had been born abroad. (Let.leidenuniv.nl, 2016) Also, the supposed concentration of various manufacturing entities in the country largely undermined the previously existing cottage industry that had provided people with their primary source of economic independence. It is such aspects that encouraged economic migration into the UK as it was perceived to be harboring multiple opportunities for development. (Taylor, 1999, p. 66)
The female gender was not also left behind during the period of migration. In fact, Agnew, Castles and Miller (2003) mention that they constituted almost half of the total migrating populations into the United Kingdom. Even though there were enormous proportions of females in the UK’s labor market, they comparatively encountered numerous challenges in accessing the jobs. Sweetman (1998) notes that much of this attention on migrant women population focused on the lowly skilled sectors of the economy which were otherwise considered as dirty, dangerous and also low paid. This also shows that during the eighteenth and the seventeenth centuries, women formed an integral part of the international economics particularly because of the migrations that they immensely participated. (Massey et al., 1993)
In conclusion, the above article has presented a discussion on the history of migration specifically in relation to the United Kingdom. It has discussed how migrant populations came into the United Kingdom in search of employment. In light of this, it is worth noting that the emphasis that had earlier on been placed on the less skilled migrant women largely obscured their position in terms of skills in the labor market. (Focus-migration.hwwi.de, 2016)
References
Striking-women.org. 2016. A history of migration | Striking Women. [Online] Available at http://www.striking-women.org/module/migration/history-migration [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016].
Agnew, J., Castles, S., and Miller, M. 2003. The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. Contemporary Sociology, 24(4), p.324.
Bravo-Moreno, A. 2006. Migration, gender and national identity. Oxford: Peter Lang.
Focus-migration.hwwi.de. 2016. Focus-Migration: Skilled female labor migration. [Online] Available at: http://focus-migration.hwwi.de/index.php?id=6029&L=1. [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016].
Fauri, F. 2014. The history of migration in Europe. Business & Economics. Routledge.
Let.leidenuniv.nl. 2016. European Expansion. [Online] Available at http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/migration/chapter23.html#2 [Accessed 4 Sep. 2016].
Massey, D., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A. and Taylor, J. 1993. Theories of International Migration: A Review and Appraisal. Population and Development Review, 19(3), p.431.
Ryan, L. and Webster, W. 2008. Gendering Migration. Aldershot, Eng.: Ashgate.
Sweetman, C. 1998. Gender and Migration. United States: Oxfam, p.72.
Taylor, E. 1999. The New Economics of Labor Migration and the Role of Remittances in the Migration Process. Int. Migration, 37(1), pp.63-88.
