Impact of migration on gender roles: Study of left behind wives in rural Punjab

Pages: 407-411
Atinder Pal Kaur (Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)

International migration is an important dimension to study integration of societies, globally; especially if studied at family level, to get a better know how of culture and society. For this, data has been collected through open-ended interview schedule, case studies, and non- participant observation from Doaba region of Punjab. Interviews were done with women, who are living without their husbands/ male member of the family. It was found that there was a shift from conservative societies in to more open societies in the Doaba region of Punjab. Women feel more autonomy, free and independent with respect to family decisions. The women acted as the head of the household and are taking all family decisions. But “patriarchal norms” and male dominance still exist in Punjabi society. Migration of their husbands results in temporary increase in tasks and responsibilities of women. The change in roles also creates a dilemma among the left behind women about their position, which leads to identity crisis. Women generally perceived these new roles as burden hence, should not be confused with changing gender role.