📄 Abstract
Rural women constitute an increasingly visible segment of internal migration flows, yet their experiences are often subsumed within broader analyses that fail to capture their specific realities. This systematic integrative review examines empirical research on rural women in rural–urban migration contexts. Guided by PRISMA guidelines and utilizing Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools, two databases (Web of Science and Google Scholar) and six rural and migration journals were searched. Inclusion criteria encompassed English-language, peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2005 and 2025, focusing explicitly on rural women within rural–urban migration. 23 studies were included and synthesized using an integrative approach combining thematic analysis and conceptual mapping. The synthesis identified six dominant thematic areas: livelihoods and economic strategies; gender relations and household dynamics; empowerment and agency; structural constraints and institutional inequalities; identity and gendered subjectivities; and vulnerability and social costs. In parallel, six key conceptualizations emerged: economic actors, dependents or tied movers, constrained or vulnerable subjects, empowered agents, relational actors, and identity negotiators. The findings indicate that, while the field is analytically rich, it remains unevenly structured, with strong emphasis on economic and household dimensions and limited engagement with identity and integrative perspectives. This review underscores the need for more holistic, theoretically coherent, and relational approaches that better capture the complexity of rural women’s migration experiences.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Judith Cherechukwu Benjamin, Salihu Hammed Ph.D, Paul Taye Ibiniyi , RURAL WOMEN IN RURAL–URBAN MIGRATION: A SYSTEMATIC INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF THEMATIC PATTERNS AND CONCEPTUALIZATIONS , Volume 11 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Research & Development (IJRD) , Pages: 283 - 299 ,