The “Abandoned” Identities and Realities of Being a Migrant Worker: The Case of the Bangladeshi Women Domestic Migrants in Asia

In villages along the India–Bangladesh border, many women have walked to the other side without proper documents. Young women emerge on this perilous journey to migrate across the border, hoping to earn and provide for their families. In 2005, the Bangladeshi Government lifted the ban on migrating unskilled women to seek work overseas. In practice and tradition, women are still discouraged from migrating and working, leaving their families behind. It still stigmatizes their character and questions the husband’s role as the breadwinner for the family. However, thousands of these women cross these barriers only for income and some freedom for themselves. Therefore, this article discusses the plight of the women migrant workers who left behind their sole identities as a housewife or a mother and have experienced the lives of migrant workers in other countries. This research, primarily based on interviews and literature, speaks about the struggles of women migrant workers with various examples in parts of Asia to understand the plight these women have experienced as domestic workers. The article addresses the “gendered perceptions” of labor migration and how women migrants are isolated with a distinct category of jobs. Moreover, I argue that the women migrants gradually form an identity of their own as a call to become more inclusive in the new setup. This article will reflect on the real stories of some women migrant workers to highlight their struggles and problems upon migrating. Finally, this article will focus on the practical “realities” versus the “expectations” that the women migrants experience across borders and how it transforms their notion of migration forever.