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World Applied Sciences Journal 29 (4): 480-485, 2014
ISSN 1818-4952
© IDOSI Publications, 2014
DOI: 10.5829/idosi.wasj.2014.29.04.13950
Coresponding Author: Shahid Iqbal, Department of Anthropology, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
480
Male Migration: Decision Making Autonomy and Changing
Roles among Females Left Behind: A Feminist Approach
(A Case Study of Village Pindi Baha-ud-Din)
Shahid Iqbal, Balal Idrees and Anwaar Mohyuddin
Department of Anthropology, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Submitted: Dec 22, 2013; Accepted: Jan 15, 2014; Published: Jan 18, 2014
Abstract: This study offers a gender approach on male’s labor migration from Pakistan and its impact on their
females left behind. Labor migration leads to significant changes in origin areas. The separation of migrants
from the family unit, whether it is nuclear or extended, has profound implications for family organization and
for individual family members. This study examined the possible impact of migration on the change in the role
and decision-making autonomy of women who stay behind. The locale of the present research was village Pindi
Baha ud Din, Union council No. 16, Tehsil & District Mandi Baha ud Din. The findings of the study showed
that migration of male member of family have a sound effect on changing role and women autonomy.
Key words: Migration Gender Autonomy Role Women Pindi Bah-ud-Din
INTRODUCTION of the larger literature examining the labor supply
The relationship between economic change and Researchers in this area stress the importance of the
family change is one of the most studied topics in the remittance channel for generating a positive income effect
social sciences. Scholars as early as Marx commented on that would raise the reservation wage of non-migrants and
the change brought about by changes in the mode of thus potentially decrease labor force participation. It is
production, especially the changes in the family in the important to recognize that remittance receipt is typically
shift to capitalist modes of production. On the rise preceded by a period in which the migrant leaves the
international labor migration, in both the less developed home and is (at least temporarily) not contributing to the
and more developed world, also leads to dramatic family household. In this case, it may be that the migration of the
changes and the mechanisms of these changes show head of household could induce his spouse to enter the
striking parallels to the changes discussed by Davis. labor market. Thus, the impact of international migration
Instead of men leaving the home for the workplace and on spouses may `again come down to a question of
returning each day, men’s labor migration, especially short-and long-term effects. Of course, if the migrant is
when it involves crossing international borders, often not successful in obtaining a regular job to generate
leads men to leave their wives, children and extended remittances over and above his earning in the home
families for long periods of time; even years. In the country, a spouse might be induced to remain in the labor
absence of their husbands, women may take on very market over the longer term as well. Regardless, the
different roles with regards to household. These new roles overall impact remains an empirical question to which
may be accompanied by amplified authority in spending, researchers have turned their attention.
decision making in economic matters and freedom of Some studies focus more directly on the labor supply
movement; dimensions that have typically been used to responses of women left behind.Remittances are
define women’s autonomy [1-3]. accompanied by a drop in women’s labor supply in
The literature on the impact of migration on spouses informal and nonpaid work in rural areas of Mexico [4].
left behind is largely focused on labor supply responses Male migration negatively affects the labor market
of female non-migrants and can be thought of as a subset participation of women left behind in Nepal [5].
responses of non-migrant household members.
World Appl. Sci. J., 29 (4): 480-485, 2014
481
As women may be more likely to work without pay, Locale of the Study: Village Pindi Baha ud Din, District
it is also important to distinguish between different types
of work. It found that having a migrant abroad decreases
the paid labor supply of women in Albania while
increasing their supply of unpaid work [6]. The effects of
male international migration on the female labor supply of
women left behind in Egypt, a country where labor force
participation for women remains fairly low [7]. They find
a decrease in wage work for women left behind, but find
that women are more likely to be employed in unpaid
family work and subsistence work, such as agricultural
activities for the purpose of own consumption. Migration
leads to a decrease in wage work and family work, but an
increase in agricultural work by women.
Since labor supply often forms the basis for
individual earnings, these results only scratch the surface
of the potential long-term economic effects of migration
on spouses left behind. If bargaining power is rooted in
relative income shares of household members, male
migration may result in a loss in bargaining power for
women through its effects on labor supplied outside the
home, as hypothesized in [7]. This represents an
important extension of the literature on the impact of
migration on families left behind and should be explored
further.
This study examined the impact of labor migration on
changing role and the autonomy of women who stay
behind. Although previous studies have examined
the associations between men’s labor migration and
non-migrating women’s autonomy in different contexts, in
this research effort had been made to go beyond prior
research by testing multiple mechanisms by which men’s
migration leads to change in the role and autonomy of
their wives. Male’s migration may stimulate women to
seek employment outside the home. As suggested by a
proximate determinants framework, men’s absence is likely
to lead to lower fertility. The financial benefits of men’s
labor migration may allow a husband and wife to live
independently from extended family member but at the
same time females have to perform such roles which are
generally not associated with female. Due to the change
in the role females have to face multifarious problems.
Mandi Baha ud Din is part of Punjab Province. This
particular region is commonly known as Gondal bar. It is
situated within 32 36'0N 73 28'60E and has an altitude of
217. The village is located at 500 metersfrom the Mandi
Baha ud Din. The summers are long and severe and cold
weather is short. Punjabi language ismost popularly
spoken language. The majority ofthe village population is
Muslim. Christians and other religion also exist are also
present as a minority.
The joint families are in majority in the village.
Descent group system prevails in the village and its
membership continues only through the males. The
exogamy marriages are discouraged. “Purdah” is
observed in the village at different levels; as naqab, i.e.
covering the body and face with a big veil or shawl. It is
represented by the female and defined in terms of her
sexuality. A chaste girl of a good character is supposed to
be the one who safeguards her father's, brothers.
Economic organization of village Pindi Baha ud din
has undergone quite a few changes. At first the village
had an agro-based economic system, but now other non-
agricultural activities have been taken up by majority due
to farming resources landholdings have reduced to a low
percentage.
The written historical record of the village is not
available. As stated by the informants there, in
1916 during British rule therailway station was setup to
defend their Empire from the North. So the railway station
was also called North Western Railway (NWR). In early
nineteenth century soon after the World War 1 British
gave and introduced new settlements in Sub-continent.
This Region called “Gondal Bar” some of its land lying
Barren was reconstructed and a great Irrigation plan was
surveyed and dug out by manual work. Main route of the
canal Lower Jhelum was dug. Water was released in 1902
in its main route.
Research Objectives: It is anticipated that the findings
from this study will represent useful evidence and
empirical facts about how remittances influence the roles
of women in their families and their personal development.
This study has primarily explored two objectives:
World Appl. Sci. J., 29 (4): 480-485, 2014
482
To explore the impact of labor migration on the remittances from abroad. The respondents had various
changing role of females in families and community. educational backgrounds: most of them had finished high
To pinpoint the possible impact of male members of school or lower; five held graduate degrees; four had
the household on the decision making autonomy of vocational certificates and one had an undergraduate
females left behind. degree. The respondents were currently engaged in
MATERIALS AND METHODS self-employed. They were commonly involved in self-run
A qualitative technique was principally used to working in organized private sector, government
gather and interpret the obtained data and the findings of sector, Non-Government Organizations. Meanwhile, 11 of
this study are mainly based on empirical results. The them were unemployed. They said that their daily jobs
researchers used individual in-depth interviews, direct involved housework and that it was reasonable for them
observation and content analysis methods to identify and to retire.
analyze data. The key informants (respondents) of this
study females of the labor migrants. The key informants Empirical Findings of the Study: With the migration of
were the females who are residual of village Pindi Baha ud one of the male members, family life inevitably influenced.
din of district Mandi Baha ud din. In the absence of male member of the females had to play
Both secondary and primary data were used in this different role and their household decision
study. In addressing the primary objectives identified makingautonomy is also affected.
above, twenty seven respondents were interviewed.
The respondents were selected in accordance with Migration and Women Development: Every society
convenience, networking and snowballing techniques. defines the roles of individual living in it. The societal rule
A semi structured interview schedule was used. The of the women in village Pindi Baha ud din over the yearsis
interview schedule consisted of different parts: to be a good citizens, good mothers and good wives. The
respondents’ profile, remittance profile, diverse roles of females are bound to the household level only. Butnow
females and decision making autonomy. All interviews due to role of technological advancement, migration and
were conducted in the Urdu language and interpreted into effort made by non-governmental organizations working
English for the purposes of analysis. The authors had for the rights of women have create some space in the
successfully used this and similar techniques in other women development but situation is unfortunately still
research projects [8-10]. much unsatisfactory[12-13].
Respondents were encouraged to participate in a
discussion in which they were able to talk extensively Researches from the Last Decade FoundThat There Are
about their roles and decision making autonomy in the Various Types of the Remittances for Example:
absence of their male members. The interview was not Technological transfers, ideas, skills and knowledge.
limited to the prepared schedule but was open-ended and During the field; researchers found thatrespondents
encouraged additional comments from the respondent. attached their development with the remittances sent in
Data collection and analysis took place from the end of the form of money by the male members from
September to the end of October, 2013. Extensive notes abroad.Furthermore the Remittances were used for a
were taken during each interview and these were variety of purposes and these have been classified into
subsequently transcribed for analysis. The content three main categories for the data analysis. (1) forwell
analysis method was used to analyze the obtained data in being of family, (2) for business activities, (3) for
compliance with an interpretation with anonymity charity.
protection for academic purposes [11].
Demographic Profile of the Respondents: Respondents agreed that they spent most of the remittances for this
of the study were eighteen married females aged between purpose. This has also documented that up to moderate
30 to 40 years. The respondents were categorized into five extent remittance are also used for buying food and
age groups. Most of the respondents said that they got household equipment and paying for utilities.
distinctive jobs. The largest number of respondents was
or family-run businesses. Out of total 9respondents were
Remittance and Wellbeing: Almost all the respondents
World Appl. Sci. J., 29 (4): 480-485, 2014
483
One of the respondent said that: One of the respondent said:
“My husbandis in America from last fifteen years. He
regularly sends money to me. The money mostly used
for education of our children and for better health
facilities. The remittance also helped us a lot in
saving our personal earnings forother purposes”.
Since remittances from abroad are an important
source of income that could help the low income families
in different ways for better living. So it is concluded that
remittances from abroad are an important source of
income that help the poor women of village Pindi Baha ud
din in different ways for better living.
Remittances and Business Activates: During the study it
is observed that remittances were also used as a part of
capital investments on economic and business activities
from the respondents. Respondents clearly used the
money for a commercial purpose. They added that apart
from investing the remittance on this productive
agricultural activity, but also saved some part of
theremittance for the constructionof a house for renting.
One of the respondents said about that:
“I used the remittances for the construction of a new
house for renting the others. The remittance is very
valuable to me, because it comes from my husband
efforts”.
Respondents pointed out gently and proudly what
they have been doing with the remittances coming from
the abroad. The finding of the research also indicated that
females are also contributing for the economic uplifting of
their families in the absence of their male membersby
increase the value of the remittances through productive
activities and business investment. The women of the
present local recognized the importance of the
remittance.
Remittances and Charity: Findings of the research also
depict that charity and community development is an
important part of the village Pindi Baha ud Din.
Respondents spent a little amount of theirremittances
which they had received from abroad on the wellbeing of
the village as well. Majority of the respondents agreed
that they give Zakkatand donations to the poor.
“I always prefer to help the needy people of my village
and to support them economically to participate in
the social ceremonies”.
Most of the respondents agree that they also
contributed remittance money to community activities
such as tidiness and cleanliness and other village-level
schemes.
Migration and Women Development in Village Pindi
Baha-ud-Din: Almost all the respondents were agreed
that migration did contribute to an improvement in their
quality of life and had positive roles in strengthening
happiness in the family. All of female interviewed were
confident that migration helped reduce conflicts in the
family by following the social remittances. Respondents
stressed the positive role of migration pointed out that
they mostly depend on the money to help their family’s
quality of life improve.Although most of the respondent
agreed that they never ever utilize the social remittances
but for those who received social remittances, they agreed
that they obtained valuable working experience and these
gave them opportunities to choose better jobs and
conflict management at house would level.The findings of
the research favor the arguments of Southiseng and
Walsh [14].
Decision Making Autonomy: Remittances through
migration helps the women to become more empowered
enable them to become a decision maker at house whole
level and better educational facilities etc.but this is not his
or her only role within the family. Upon migrating, the
other roles previously provided by migrants must be
supplemented by non-migrant family members. “One of
the biggest changes for gender roles resulted from the
“shift of the locus of work from the home to somewhere
else.” As men and later women, moved their productive
activities from the home to the factory, they experienced
more freedom in their daily lives and less control by
family. This shift in the locale of production has the
potential to alter women’s autonomy [15].
Finding of the research shows that almost all the
respondents were agreed that in the absence of their men
they feel more independent and autonomous.
Respondents conceptualize their autonomy in the
absence of their men in these categories;Economic
decision making,residence,to avail better medical facilities
and freedom of movement.
World Appl. Sci. J., 29 (4): 480-485, 2014
484
Economic Decision Making: The finding of the research One of the respondent said about that:
depicts that respondentfrom village Pindi Baha ud din
experience greater independence in their economic affairs. “I am free to visit medical facilities of my choice for the
They were free to invest money according to their treatment of family”.
priorities and requirements of their families with a little
consent of their husbands or those members who were From the findings it is concluded that respondents
sending remittances. were free to visit medical facilities of their choice.
One of the respondent told that; members from abroad also advise them for regular
“In the absence of my husband I have authority to invest
money in any productive business activity and free Freedom of Movement: According to respondents
to join any occupation of my own choice” freedom of movement was one the dimension of their
Furthermore respondents also argued about their free friends when they want visit. In the absence of male
will to spent money on the family needs such as food member it’s very necessary to visit the families and friend
items, home construction etc. for the sake of making social terms more effective and
Residence Choice: During the study it is also observed movement.
that emigrant women who are left behind attached their
autonomy with their currently living status. Respondents One of the respondent said that;
said that in the absence of their husband they are almost
free to live at both in husband house and with their natal “I can visit my families and friend for participation in
house as well. It is further concluded in this regards that the social obligations without any restriction”
female of the current locale feel much comfortable to live
with their parents in the absence of their husbands. Findings of the study suggest that due to migration
Respondents told about that participate in the social obligations which contribute to
“In the absence of our husband no one is here to protect
us, so we preferred to stay at our natal house”.Migration and Changing Role of Female: Migration
“I am free to live at both homes either with my parents or behind. These women may mothers, sisters, wives,
at my husband home. I use to spend my weekend at daughter and widows. The impact of migration on females
my parents’ home, because I feel much more may vary from female to female depending upon the social
comfortable there.” category and family size to which they belong. This
It is also concluded that most of the respondents family structure, general behavior, household economy
were free to visit other relative and friends who live and investment.
outside the community. They also frequently visit their In general migration had destabilizing effect on
neighborhood and attend social obligations as well. family nucleus and tradition. New roles of females that
Better Medical Facilities: Finding of the research traditional ones and sometime result in clash in traditional
represents that respondents connect their autonomy with values of the society. In the absence of male members
the better medical facilities. Respondents stressed that females had play dual roles especially in nuclear families.
now in the absence of their husband and in the presence They had to participate in the social obligations where
of huge money come from abroad in the form of male member was required. Sometimethey handle such
remittances they were free to select the hospital for their situations very well but sometime it became very hectic
treatment. for them.
Respondents also demonstrated that their emigrant
checkups and to avail better medical facilities.
autonomy. They were free to visit their families and
sustainable which was only possible through freedom of
of male members females had freedom of movement to
their autonomy.
makes a great impact on changing role of the females left
change in role of female was considered in relations to
are adopted due to male migration deeply affect the
World Appl. Sci. J., 29 (4): 480-485, 2014
485
A more serious impact of male migration was seen 6. Mendola, M. and G. Carletto, 2009. International
when a migrants could not find a job or low paid job in the migration and gender differentials in the home labor
host country. These situations engender more poverty for market: Evidence from Albania’, World Bank Policy
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