Migrant wives: dynamics of the empowerment process

ABSTRACT

An increasing number of male migrants are taking part in intra- and inter-regional migration in Asia, leaving their wives behind at home. Their wives, whom we call emigrant wives, often adapt to new roles and responsibilities and thus undergo empowerment in the migration process. This paper examines the impact of male migration on the empowerment of emigrant wives by comparing and contrasting the experiences of emigrant wives vis-à-vis non-emigrant wives. The research identifies and describes four major areas where emigrant wives tend to engage in the absence of their migrant husbands: access to economic resources, physical mobility, residential independence and decision-making role in key family affairs. Empirically, this study draws on fieldwork at two migration-source villages in Bangladesh. The study reports that emigrant wives gain new experiences in dealing with family and wider society in comparison with non-emigrant wives, and thus that migration exposes them to processes of greater empowerment.

KEYWORDS:

• women empowerment
• labour migration
• development
• International migration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. World Bank Press Release on the 23 April 2018: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/04/23/record-high-remittances-to-low-and-middle-income-countries-in-2017, retrieved on the 29 May 2018 at 7.43 pm.

2. The Daily Star, ‘Remittance slumps to six-year low’, 2 January 2018.

3. This estimated figure is based on remittance data provided on the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), Bangladesh Bank, and Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment websites. Retrieved on the 2 May 2018.

4. Hundi is an informal but highly organized system of transfers, founded on social infrastructure comprised of social and symbolic ties. Operators of the hundi system are called hundiwalas. They are physically involved in the collection of cash from migrant workers overseas, and in the carrying and distribution of cash to the migrant families back home (Rahman & Yeoh, 2008, pp. 6–7).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sabnam Sarmin Luna

Sabnam Sarmin Luna is assistant professor at the Department of Geography and Environment, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is a human geographer, specialized in studies of migration, environment, development, and climate change. Luna is currently working on migration and women empowerment in Bangladesh.

Md Mizanur Rahman

Md Mizanur Rahman is associate professor at the Gulf Studies Program, Department of International Affairs, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar. His areas of expertise include migration and development, diaspora engagement and migrant remittances. He is a member of Migration Research Leaders Syndicate for the 2018 Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, led by the IOM - The UN Migration Agency - based in Geneva.