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Empowering Absence? Assessing the Impact of Transnational Male Out-Migration on Left behind Wives

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  • Saroj Koirala

    (Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland)

Abstract

Experiences of left-behind family members of transnational migrant workers have been in the shadow of academic discourse on migration. To contribute to the slowly growing body of literature, this study explores the impact of male out-migration on left-behind wives. The study proposes and applies a novel framework to estimate Women Empowerment Index (WEI) for comparing the empowerment level across households with and without men in transnational labor. Cross-sectional surveys and unstructured interviews were used to collect data from 373 respondents from three selected areas in Nepal. Results indicate that left-behind wives experience a higher degree of decision-making authority, physical mobility, and involvement in socio-political spheres compared to women with husbands at home. However, left behind wives were found to experience increased unpaid workload and decreased access to information, together with emotional and psychological costs in the absence of their husbands.

Suggested Citation

  • Saroj Koirala, 2023. "Empowering Absence? Assessing the Impact of Transnational Male Out-Migration on Left behind Wives," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:2:p:80-:d:1055696
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mishra, Khushbu & Kondratjeva, Olga & Shively, Gerald E., 2022. "Do remittances reshape household expenditures? Evidence from Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Kapri, Kul & Ghimire, Shankar, 2020. "Migration, remittance, and agricultural productivity: Evidence from the Nepal Living Standard Survey," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    3. Hem C. Basnet & Bishwa Koirala & Kamal P. Upadhyaya & Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou, 2021. "Workers’ remittances and financial development: the case of South Asia," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 68(2), pages 185-207, June.
    4. Sharma, Hari, 2020. "The effect of emigration and remittances on labour supply of the left-behind: Evidence from Nepal," MPRA Paper 102091, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Neetu A. John, 2020. "Exploring the Linkages Between Women’s Paid and Unpaid Work and Their Experiences of Intimate Partner and Non-Partner Violence in Nepal," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 89-113, October.
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