Migration and empowerment: the experience of women in households in India where migration of a husband has occurred

Abstract

Women's empowerment is a major concern in the developing world and is emerging as an important indicator of the development of a society as well as the status of women. In this paper, we study empowerment of women in families which have experienced the migration of their male members. A direct relationship between migration of a husband and a woman's empowerment is difficult to establish. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile examining whether women have experienced any change in their freedoms in terms of decision making, mobility and restrictions. Our measure of women's empowerment is based mainly on three indicators, viz. their decision-making powers, restrictions placed on them and their mobility. Analysis of these three indices of women's empowerment has been achieved through multinomial logistic regression models on data from India's 2005-2006 National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3). The findings of this study show that out-migration of men has not had a significant impact on the emancipation of women. The common factors which increase the decision-making power and mobility of women and lessen the social restrictions placed on them are age, their educational attainment, marital duration, occupation and residence in urban areas.

Recursive Male Out-migration and the Consequences at Source: A Systematic Review with Special Reference to the Left-behind Women

“…hypothesised migration induced empowerment of women are reported to be affected by factors such as attribute of women (age, education, marital duration, status of father's house), nature and amount of remittance, family structure (nuclear, joint extended), local culture (Sinha et al, 2012) and their complex interplay. Personal attributes of the women play a significant role in shaping their agency and exercising actions leading to empowerment.…”

“…In fact, it is an accepted fact that internal and recursive labour migration has increased manifold in recent decades (Rosewarne, 2010). Moreover, attempt to understand the impact of male out-migration within the framework of women empowerment has also been largely absent (Sinha, Jha, & Negi, 2012). Further, the male members' absence might affect the care and well-being of children and the elderly in the families.…”

Zimbabwean Transnational Migration, (In) Visible Masculinities, and the Reconfiguration of Gender in Shimmer Chinodya’s Chairman of Fools

“…Veronica's performance of "masculine" roles thus alters the gender relations between Farai and Veronica and subsequently their gender identities transforming their marriage in the process. Sinha, Smita, and Nalin (2012) argue that male migration leads to modification in the structure of family life and also transforms women's social and economic position, often to their detriment. Masculinity in Zimbabwe is largely perceived and judged on the basis of its ability to protect and provide for the family.…”

El futuro dominicano en España: Alto capital humano, empoderamiento y ruptura con los esquemas tradicionales

“…Para algunos autores el empoderamiento es una variable latente alcanzable a través de ciertas características que varían dependiendo del grupo social y que no puede ser directamente observada o medida (Sinha, Jha & Negi, 2012); para otros, es un elemento que puede ser analizado desde una perspectiva cualitativa o cuantitativa (Gaye & Shreyasi, 2011).…”