Mariam Abouelenin

Current Research

My doctoral research explores migration and fertility choices in Egypt. Egypt is a particularly interesting country to study given the substantial migration outflows to other Arab countries, typically to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. These states have fertility levels that are considerably higher than those in Egypt. My research will build on the lessons from previous work on the social and economic consequences of return migration. However, contrary to the income effect, I attempt to present a new channel through which migration could be influencing fertility levels. More specifically, I examine if fertility choices are driven by a stronger preference for sons, with households aiming for a desired number of male children.