Labor Migration And Rural-Suburban Symbiosis In Igbo Society

Abstract

Two southeastern Nigerian villages were surveyed to study labor force migration in a traditional African society. A binary logit model was used to examine paid work differences between males and females in both Umuluwe (the ancestors’ village) and Obigbo (a suburban village) and paid work differences between the residents in the two villages. The results show a strong correlation between education and employment; and between education and the likelihood of migration to Obigbo. We found that each village plays its own symbiotic part in terms of economic activity, life stages of the villagers, and gender roles.