Spatial patterns of age-specific sex ratios in Russian intraregional migration
Migration is one of the key processes that shape the age and sex structure of a population. Intraregional migration, which accounted for 39% of migration turnover in Russia in 2016-2020 and follows the centripetal trend, has a significant impact on the population of many territories. The study of sex disparities in migration deepens the understanding of its impact on the age-sex population structure, fertility and marriage patterns, and local labor markets. This article aims to identify the differences in the participation in intraregional migration between men and women, using data on the age-sex population distribution and the number of arrivals and departures by age and sex in 2016-2021 in Russian municipalities. Based on these primary data, the coefficients of arrivals and departures per 1000 residents for individual age and sex groups for 2016-2020 were calculated. Also, the corresponding standardized coefficients were calculated for the ages of 15-29 and 40+ years. The case of Central Russia was considered in detail. The results revealed that women show higher migration activity at the age of up to 40 years, while men do so at the age of over 40 years and in all types of territories. The higher migration activity of women at young ages is associated with their greater involvement in educational migration and fewer employment opportunities in peripheral territories, as well as with a potentially more frequent change of registration when getting married, having children and enrolling them in preschool institutions and schools. As for men, their higher migration activity at older ages is probably due to the fact that they less often than women take care of children alone after a divorce or of elderly relatives, which makes them less restrained in terms of migration.