• A form of age selection takes place in the UK in terms of retirement. South coast resorts
such as Bournemouth display a “top-heavy” population structure as a result of such selfselecting migration patterns.
• Expanding towns, such as Swindon, tend to attract younger people seeking employment.
This form of age selection favours people below the age of 40 and attracts a higher
proportion of people with young and teenage children.
• In Saudi Arabia, mainly male immigrants are encouraged from other Islamic states such as
Pakistan illustrating sex selection.
• In California, there is a reference for young Filipino women to work in service in private
homes creating a form of age and sex selection.
Exercise 3 – Selective Immigration to France.
France, like all other EU countries allows freedom of migration for EU citizens. However it hastraditionally been a destination from a number of North African countries such as Algeria,
Morocco and Tunisia. These are all former colonies of France and they still have cultural and
economic ties with France. They are all French speaking, despite their independence.
France has been under pressure to tighten its immigration policies. Since 1974, it has
prohibited “new” immigration from North Africa but people are allowed to join family members already resident in France. This leads to an inflow of about 120.000 immigrants per year and, in addition, there is some illegal immigration.
Study the population pyramids for selected immigration groups in France.
(a) Describe the composition of each immigrant group in France.
(b) Comment on the number of dependants and those that are economically active.
(c) What evidence is there for selective immigration
CASE STUDY MIGRATION IN THE UK
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
• Apart from the original Celtic tribes, Britain has been receiving immigrants for 1000’s of years including the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, Danish and Norwegian Vikings, Normans and in parts of the East of Britain, the Dutch. Only the Scots, Irish, Welsh and Cornish have any claim of being “native” Britons!
• In the 18th to early 20th century there was international out-migration from Britain to parts of the world that had been colonised by Britain including North America, Australia, New Zealand, India, Africa and a host of smaller island states.
• From the 1950’s onwards until the early 1970’s, the UK was a focus of immigration from a
number of Commonwealth countries such as the Caribbean states, the Indian sub-continent.
There was also immigration from China (often through Hong Kong). Many “Asians” (largely
people of Indian origin) immigrated to Britain from Uganda to flee from political persecution
under the presidency of Idi Amin. This coincided with a period of economic growth for Britain
and a labour shortage. Organisations such as London Underground and Wycombe furniture
factories actively recruited in Commonwealth countries to provide a source of labour for such
labour intensive industries. The UK gradually became a more cosmopolitan society bringing
new advantages such as new skills, enhanced cultural diversity and new sources of enterprise and labour. There were also disadvantages relating to racial tension, often highlighted in areas of social deprivation and high unemployment. Racial tension is still an issue, particularly in some northern cities such as Oldham, Bradford and Burnley, where the levels of racial integration and mixing are relatively low.
• In-migration is now strictly controlled. Most immigrants so far this century have been asylum seekers, family members of existing immigrants, or people with particular skills that the UK is lacking (such as nurses, doctors, teachers, etc). Discussion and debate has been about the authenticity of some asylum seekers and government policies to meet their needs. Racial tension is still an issue, particularly in some northern cities such as Oldham, Bradford and Burnley.
INTERNAL MIGRATION
• Since the 1970’s, a large number of people have migrated away from the north and west of
Britain to the south and east. This has been a response to the very different economic
circumstances. The traditional heavy industries of cities such as Merseyside, Teesside or
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, such as shipbuilding, chemicals, coal mining and iron and steel
production, have declined or disappeared. The government has tried and succeeded in
attracting new industries (such as Nissan cars) but they are not as labour intensive.
• By contrast, modern economic growth has been concentrated in the southeast resulting in a drift of population southwards. The greatest growth has been in the counties around London such as Surrey, Kent and south Buckinghamshire, although there has also been growth along axes into Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and East Anglia. It should be noted that some parts of inner London and north-east Kent have also suffered some of the problems usually associated with northern cities.
Push factors of the North east
(e.g. Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
Pull factors of London and the Southeast
Economic Decline in traditional industries. High unemployment. Closure of some services. Limited investment in new markets. Dynamic growth area. Access to EU markets. Large generally affluent home market. Easy contact with bankers and company headquarters.
Social &
Cultural
Relatively low wages. Limited entertainment and educational opportunities. A greater range of entertainment, cultural and educational opportunities. Dynamic cosmopolitan area.
Physical Decaying physical environment. Remote from key market areas and the economic core of the EU. Wetter and colder climate. Close proximity to Europe. Warmer, drier climate, particularly on the south coast.
Political Lack of investment. Peripheral from the centre of decision-making.Greater “pulling –power” of London. Close to the centre of Government.
These changes have consequences for both the Northeast and the Southeast:
Advantages Disadvantages To the northeast
Relieves unemployment. Less pressure on
services
Lower house prices. Lower cost of living “Brain drain” of skills Migration is often age and sex selective. Local spending leads to a decline in local services and the environment. House prices stagnate.
To the southeast Fills job vacancies. Draws in skills Adds to social and cultural variety.
High housing and living costs. Overcrowding – demand for housing on “greenfield” sites.
Traffic congestion Overheated economy. Demand for resources such as water.
DECLINE IN CONURBATIONS & COUNTER-URBANISATION
In the latter half of the 20th Century all major conurbations in the UK lost population. People have moved out of the inner cities in particular, but also from the suburbs. The movement tend to be selective and include:
• Younger families looking for more open space and larger housing.
• Those with higher incomes able to afford larger houses and the cost of commuting.
• Those with higher skills looking for work in modern footloose industries and offices.
People have moved into the rural urban fringe surrounding the cities, often leapfrogging the
protective greenbelt areas established in the post-war years to prevent urban sprawl. The
counterurbanisation has affected existing towns such as Aylesbury but it has also encouraged new town development. Eight new towns, including Bracknell, Harlow, Hemel Hempstead and Milton Keynes have been built within 30 miles of London. There has also been a very small movement of the wealthy back into some inner-city areas such as the Canary Wharf area in the London Docklands and St.Peter’s basin in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This process of is sometimes referred to as gentrification.
The consequences of counter-urbanisation
Advantages Disadvantages To the inner city
Reduces unemployment and the pressure on services. Creates space for immigration into the city
Leaves a decaying “heart”. Decline in the community and the environment. Local councils receive less income from council taxes so less money is available for investment. The creation of ghettoes, social unrest and high crime rates. To the urban fringe
Increased use and demand for services. Increased demand for housing. High cost of housing as demand exceeds supply. Increased traffic and localised air pollution. Loss of farmland and other open spaces for housing, offices and employment activities.
RURAL TO URBAN MIGRTION
This was at its height at the time of the industrial revolution but it still occurs in remote areas such as the Outer Hebrides, the Lake District, The Pennines and Mid Wales. The process has recently accelerated as a consequence of the economic problems in farming and in the rural economy. Young single people who see no future in farming and other rural activities selectively dominate the rural depopulation.
Rural depopulation has several effects:
• Dereliction and abandonment of farms and farmland
• Loss of village services such as schools, shops and bus services (driving more people out)
• The growth of second homes forcing house prices to rise out of the reach of local people.
• An imbalance in the age and sex structure, reducing the birth rate and leading to an aging
population with its knock on effects for farming and social activities.
REGIONAL MIGRATION IN THE NORTHEAST OF ENGLAND
The traditional clusters of population in the Northeast are in the urban centres of Tyneside, Wearside and Teeside. The peripheral areas are still characterised by out-migration, leaving
sparsely populated areas in the Pennines. Until the mid 20th century, the core regions were growing but in recent decades, there has been a reversal of this trend. More people are leaving the town and city areas, either to migrate south or abroad, or to live in rural areas adjacent to towns and cities and within commuting distance (such as Morpleth near Durham). Peripheral towns such as Berwick are also declining. There has been a small amount if international immigration such as Japanese managers of the Nissan factory at Washington. There are also communities of Chinese, Indian and Pakistani people, often running their own small businesses or in professional and managerial roles.
CASE STUDY 2 – INTERNAL MIGRATION IN BRAZIL
The map shows the pattern of internal migration in Brazil since the mid-20th century. Most out-migration has been from the North East region. Successive droughts and poor agricultural techniques have led to crop failure, famine and poverty. Most migrants have moved to the urban centres of the South East: the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. The migration has reduced the overpopulation of the North East by relieving pressures on water supply, food supply and fuelwood but there is now a shortage of people of working age, particularly males. (A consequence of the selective migration of young males.) In the cities, the migrants form a cheap labour force but they also create problems
due to both the numbers and the rate of migration flow.
These include:
• The growth of vast sprawling spontaneous settlements (shanty towns) that lack basic
amenities (although this may improve over time)
• A shortage of school places, hospital beds and other services.
• Congestion and high levels of air pollution (most migrants commute to the city centre or
industrial areas for work).
• A growing level of disease in the poorly served spontaneous settlements.
• A shortage of jobs and low pay leading to a large informal sector.
• Social problems of family breakdown, crime and delinquency.
Smaller scale movements into the Brazilian Interior, particularly the Amazon, were encouraged in
the 1970’s by the government as part of a transmigration policy (free housing and land was
offered). These have resulted in poor soil management, deforestation and soil erosion. More longterm migrations are associated with employment in logging and mining companies.
Push and Pull factors from North East to South East Brazil
Push factors from North East Brazil Pull factors to South East Brazil
• Low, unreliable rainfall often less than 750mm
• Periodic drought and crop failure
• Poverty starvation and malnutrition
• Limited employment opportunities and low wages
• Low levels of land ownership
• Overpopulation
• High mortality rates, especially amongst the young
• Infertile soil, often degraded and salty.
• Better-paid factory jobs.
• More employment opportunities including work in the informal sector.
• More comfortable housing with opportunities to gain basic services such as water and electricity.
• Access to services such as schools, medical care and entertainment.
• Moore reliable sources of food.