South–south migration and female labor supply in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

This article investigates the effects of female immigration to the Dominican Republic (DR)—most of which is from Haiti and of low-education levels—on the labor supply of native women. Using individual-level data for 2003–2016 and exploiting geographic variation in early immigrant settlements together with time variation in female immigration inflows, we find that female immigration has led to disparate outcomes across women of different education levels and family structures. In line with the evidence from developed countries, female immigration to the DR is associated with an increase in the hours worked by highly educated native women with family dependents (relative to equally educated women without dependents). However, for low-educated native women, female immigration is associated with a decrease in hours worked and in earnings. Our results underscore the importance of studying the disparate effects of migration on vulnerable groups in developing countries.