Is interdisciplinary research a necessary evil in the post-COVID era? Developing a women empowerment in Migration Index

Abstract

Evidence on the number of migrant women affected by forced labour and human trafficking is scant. Alarmingly so is the lack of focus on women’s agency in the numerous research on female migration across disciplines. In this paper, I discuss the conceptual framework of the Women Empowerment in Migration Index (WEMI), which is, to my knowledge, the first index focusing on the multidimensional agency of female migrants. I argue that evaluating the three dimensions of women’s agency, intrinsic, instrumental, and collective, is integral to monitoring the real progress towards SDG 8.7 on the eradication of forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking. Lastly, I discuss the rationale for adopting an interdisciplinary approach and the necessity to go beyond the more seemingly objective indicators of economic resources and achievements at the household level in the post-COVID era.