[Migration and family roles: demographic measurement and cultural contexts]

"Demographers explain the fact that women are heads of households in the countries of origin by the shortage of men created by labour migration (the so-called sex-ratio argument). Empirical testing using census or survey data pertaining to a large number of countries proves disappointing. No significant statistical correlation can be established between sex ratios and various characteristics of the households. In order to understand the failure of the methodology used, one must shift from demography to the sociology of migrations and take into account the cultural contexts, and more specifically roles and statuses of women, as is shown in the case of the Caribbean and of the Dogon, one of the ethnic groups in Mali." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)