Out-Migration in the Context of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Evidence from the Free State Province

In this article I investigate the characteristics and determinants of out-migration in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, using data from a panel designed to investigate the household impact of the epidemic. Departure models show that individual attributes, notably age and gender, play an important role in explaining out-migration from households that have not experienced morbidity or mortality. In affected households, a number of household-level variables, notably the sex of the household head, place of residence, family structure, the dependency ratio, human capital and household size, feature as important determinants of out-migration. Health shocks independently explain part of observed differences in out-migration from affected households, the out-migration of ill persons from affected households and the out-migration of orphaned children from affected households. Thus, migration represents an important strategy for poorer households having to cope with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, both as an economic survival strategy and as a social strategy aimed at accessing support from the extended family.