A paper prepared for the Regional Studies Association’s Conference, 13 th -16 th May 2012 in Delft, the Netherlands Gender related out-migration tendencies in Northern Hungary and in Västernorrland, Sweden * Prof. Dr. György. Kocziszky a , Dr. Zoltan Nagy a , Dr. Daniel Rauhut b and Dr. Ildikó Györffy a Abstract The paper aims to analyse the out-migration of young women from the rural regions Northern Hungary and Västernorrland, Sweden. The theoretical frameworks are based upon the neoclassical macro theory of migration and the dual labour market theory in combination with the human capital theory. A qualitative method will be used in the analysis. The empirical material in this study is based upon questionnaires to identify gender related differences in migration behaviour already in the very young age groups. In-depth interviews with young women to learn more about the social reality in the region under consideration were made as well as the experiences and shared knowledge of the people living in the regions that are related to migration decisions. Also interviews with experts have been made. The initial findings suggest that the driving forces of out-migration of young women appear connected to studies and moving to more attractive labour markets. For those who do not return the lack of employment possibilities in their profession appears to be the main reason for not returning. Some country specific results are also identified. In Northern Hungary the situation of the Roma population is different from the Hungarian population and in Västernorrland life style factors appears significant. Keywords: young women, migration JEL: J16 * This paper has been financed by the ESPON targeted research project Selective Migration and Unbalanced Sex Ratio in Rural Regions (SEMIGRA). The SEMIGRA project aims at creating knowledge about the specific needs and expectations of young women and young men in strategy building processes as well as to point out if and to which extent regions can benefit from gender-sensitive policy advice. Five regions are studied: Sachsen-Anhalt (DE), Västernorrland (SE), Kainuu (FI), Észak-Alföld (HU) and Észak-Magyarország (HU). The results of this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the members of the ESPON Monitoring Committee. a University of Miscolc, Institute of World and Regional Economics, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, Hungary b Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Division of Urban and Regional Studies, Drottning Kristinas väg 30, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden