The migration of Bolivians to Argentina is a long-standing phenomenon since
the presence of Bolivians was recorded in the first Argentine census in 1869
(INDEC, 1997). Since the 1950s, however, this migration flow has been
increasing in significance, both numerically as well as in terms of the way it is
perceived by the Argentine population and its government (INDEC, 1997;
Grimson, 1997, 1999; Sassone, 1989; see also Margulis, 1998).
There are three recent trends in Bolivian migration worth highlighting. In the
first place, these are related to the changing destinations (Benencia and Gazzotti,
1997; Sassone, 1989). While Bolivians used to migrate to the northern regions
of Argentina, they changed their preferences in the 1970s in favour of the cap-
ital, Buenos Aires (INDEC, 1997). The shift of the economy toward the tertiary
sector and the mechanization of agricultural work, which decreased the
demand for seasonal agricultural workers, have contributed to this change.
Secondly, there has been a feminization of migration in general and of Bolivians
in particular (Balán, 1995; INDEC, 1997; IOM, 1997). In the past, it was mainly
men who migrated (Balán, 1995; Dandler and Medeiros, 1988; INDEC, 1997;
Marshall, 1981). In fact, the migration of Bolivians was one where men pre-
dominated to a greater extent than in the migration of people from other
neighbouring countries (INDEC, 1997). Since the 1980s, however, women have
started playing a much more active role in this migration flow. The increased
labour market participation of Argentine women, their higher educational attain-
ments, as well as the aging population are all factors that lead to an increased
demand for domestic services, which are mainly met by migrant women. Bolivian
women are generally employed in informal street trading in both clothes and
vegetables, textile manufacturing, and to a lesser extent in domestic work
(Benencia and Karasik, 1995; Grimson, 2000; Mugarza, 1985; Recchini de Lattes,
1988; Zunino, 1997). In contrast, Bolivian men who migrate to rural areas or
the outskirts of Buenos Aires usually work in agricultural production while those
in urban areas usually work in construction and textile manufacturing (Benencia
and Karasik, 1995; Grimson, 2000).
Thirdly, this international migration has become increasingly irregular (Benencia
and Gazzotti, 1995; Correa, 2000; Marshall, 1981; Orellana, n.d.; Sassone, 1989).
Until the mid-1980s it was relatively easy to regularize one’s stay in Argentina.
Also, a number of amnesties have been implemented since 1949 with the aim of
facilitating the regularization of foreign workers (Sassone, 1987). However, in
the last decade it has become increasingly more difficult for migrants to become
regular residents due to increased costs, and the requirement of a working con-
tract or close relatives who are already residents in Argentina. In particular,
some observers have argued that during the 1990s the Dirección Nacional de
Migraciones (DNM), the governmental agency responsible for managing mi-
gration as well as implementing migration policies, started imposing additional
obstacles for migrants originating from neighbouring countries. Without
implementing a specific policy, such practices increased the likelihood of mi-
grants remaining in an undocumented situation (Oteiza and Novick, 2000).
These wider patterns are clearly visible in the migration of people from the
communities taken into account. Survey data suggest that Buenos Aires is
the main destination. This is explained by the fact that they started migrating
relatively late (late 1980s and early 1990s), when the Argentine capital had
already taken precedence as the migrants’ favoured destination. Survey data
also show that both men and women migrate for work. However, while men’s
migration began to intensify in the early 1990s, especially since 1993, women’s
migration started increasing in 1997. This confirms the wider patterns of Bolivian
migration to Argentina in relation to the feminization of migration. Finally, the
migrants’ stories also confirm the trend toward illegality and the increasing
difficulties migrants face in their attempts to regularize their stay in Argentina.
The main reasons for wanting to migrate are economic and related to poverty
and limited working opportunities.
Seasonal migration is customary for those coming from rural areas. Households
maximize their income and subsistence options by alternating subsistence work
on their own plots of land in Bolivia with income-generating opportunities, often
in the form of taking employment in urban areas of Bolivia and/or in Argentina.
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