Ravenstein's Law Of Migration

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Ravenstein’s Law of Migration 1. Most migrants move only a short distance. 2. There is a process of absorption, whereby people immediately surrounding a rapidly growing town move into it and the gaps they leave are filled by migrants from more distant areas, and so on until the attractive force [pull factors] is spent. 3. There is a process of dispersion, which is the inverse of absorption. 4. Each migration flow produces a compensating counter-flow. 5. Long-distance migrants go to one of the great centers of commerce and industry. 6. Natives of towns are less migratory than those from rural areas. 7. Females are more migratory than males. Economic factors are the main cause of migration. migration was governed by a "push-pull" process; that is, unfavorable conditions in one place (oppressive laws, heavy taxation, etc.) "push" people out, and favorable conditions in an external location "pull" them out. Ravenstein's laws stated that the primary cause for migration was better external economic opportunities; the volume of migration decreases as distance increases; migration occurs in stages instead of one long move; population movements are bilateral; and migration differentials (e.g., gender, social class, age) influence a person's mobility. Lee’s Theory Everett Lee (1966) reformulated Ravenstein's theory to give more emphasis to internal (or push) factors. Lee also outlined the impact that intervening obstacles have on the migration process. He argued that variables such as distance, physical and political barriers, and having dependents can impede or even prevent migration. Lee pointed out that the migration process is selective because differentials such as age, gender, and social class affect how persons respond to push-pull factors, and these conditions also shape their ability to overcome intervening
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