South Asia is home to one of the largest labor migrants in the Gulf region. In 2022, 105,466 women migrated from Bangladesh as labor migrants; the same statistic for Sri Lanka is 41,154 (in 2021) and for Nepal 49,128 (in 2022). These three South Asian countries send some of the largest numbers of low-skilled female labor migrants. Therefore, it is important to look at the historical and current patterns and trends of labor migration from South Asia through a gendered-lens to gain a better insight into the current feminization of the low-skilled labor migration spectrum. This analysis is particularly important as it sheds light on the disproportionately gendered programs for women migrant workers from the three countries. The authors draw specifically on the three selected cases as they are linked by the common feature of high numbers of low-skilled international female labor migrants. Drawing on research and reports on gendered social reproduction, they analyze the gendered labor patterns in the three cases to draw a coherent picture of the “push and pull” factors influencing the migration of low-skilled female workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to the Gulf countries.

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The Irregular Landscape of Migration and Gender in South Asia: Historical and Contemporary Patterns

  • Nahian Salsabeel,
  • Faria Ulfath Leera

摘要

South Asia is home to one of the largest labor migrants in the Gulf region. In 2022, 105,466 women migrated from Bangladesh as labor migrants; the same statistic for Sri Lanka is 41,154 (in 2021) and for Nepal 49,128 (in 2022). These three South Asian countries send some of the largest numbers of low-skilled female labor migrants. Therefore, it is important to look at the historical and current patterns and trends of labor migration from South Asia through a gendered-lens to gain a better insight into the current feminization of the low-skilled labor migration spectrum. This analysis is particularly important as it sheds light on the disproportionately gendered programs for women migrant workers from the three countries. The authors draw specifically on the three selected cases as they are linked by the common feature of high numbers of low-skilled international female labor migrants. Drawing on research and reports on gendered social reproduction, they analyze the gendered labor patterns in the three cases to draw a coherent picture of the “push and pull” factors influencing the migration of low-skilled female workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to the Gulf countries.