Movements of people searching for a better life, livelihood or refuge, or rushing to flee natural disasters are as old as humankind.

People migrate within their own countries, mainly from rural to urban areas, as well as across borders. Traditionally speaking, it was the men who migrated for work, with women staying behind. Today women also started thinking in order to catch up a better place. The vast majority of those who move today are still internal migrants1 while international migrants reach the figure of 200 million people2. The share of international migrants in the worlds population has remained remarkably stable at around 3 percent over the past 50 years. The onset of globalization and in particular, trade liberalization impacted countries at different time points and in different ways in terms of the gender specific labor demand for mainly unskilled and semi-skilled labour 3. This led to a sudden surge in the movement of women across and within national boundaries mainly for employment. This increased lobour mobility of women brought into discussion on the one hand whether there was really any autonomy in the decision to take up job away from home and on the other, what impact it had on womens empowerment.4

Even when women are seen as engaging in productive work outside the household after migration, they are seen as secondary earners and dependents in the processes of migration. Yet there are remarkable number of women who migrate as single women in search of a livelihood, relying completely on their all-female networks of friends and acquaintances. Female migration as noted by Shanthi (2006) can be classified into three groups. a) Associated migration or family migration when the woman moves with the male members of household b) Autonomous migration when a woman moves unaccompanied mainly for work and a sub-component of this is the relay migration c) Marriage migration where a woman after getting married leaves the natal village/town due to the customary practice of exogamy observed in some countries.
1 2 3 4

Human Development Report 2009, UNDP, p.1, Human Development Report 2009, UNDP, p.2 Fernandez-kelly, 1983; Khoo, 1984 Connell et al, 1976; Kabeer, 2000; Hugo,2000

Gender permeates every aspect of migration, including the decision to migrate, the process of migration and its consequences. A gender perspective is essential for understanding both the causes and consequences of interstate migration. The feminization of migration alters the position of men in transnational families: they now receive the remittances from their female partners living in other states and may have to attain new family or household functions. So, the question is can migration be considered as an empowering experience for women?

Internal Migration in India Indias total population, as recorded in Census 2011, stands at 1.21 billion. Internal migrants in India constitute a large population: 309 million internal migrants or 30 per cent of the population (Census of India 2001), and by more recent estimates 326 million or 28.5 per cent of the population (NSSO 20072008). Migration in India is primarily of two types:

i. Long-term migration, resulting in the relocation of an individual or household; ii. Short-term or seasonal/ circular migration, involving back and forth movement between a source and destination. Estimates of short term migrants vary from 15 million (NSSO 2007 2008) to 100 million .Out of the total internal migrants, 70.7 per cent are women (Census of India 2001). Marriage is given as the prominent reason for female migration in both the rural and urban areas 91 per cent of rural female migrants and 61 per cent of the urban female migrants (NSSO 20072008). Migration for employment-related reasons is given as the prominent reason for male migration in both rural and urban areas 29 per cent rural male migrants and 56 per cent of urban male migrants (NSSO 20072008).

Deshingkar and Akter 2009

Objectives of the study:

1) Reasons of migration 2) Socio economic background of migrated families 3) Occupation pattern after and before migration

Scope of the study

The study addresses the socio-economic impact of migration including empowerment and vulnerability issues. The study explores certain fundamental and innovative areas of gender migration such as the socio-economic background of migrant families, changes and problems encountered by the families back home and their coping mechanisms, role of women migrants in decision making both in family issues and the use of remittances, etc.

Limitations of the study

A gender perspective on migration attempts to overcome the limited attention paid to the presence of women in the migration stock and their contribution. While many women accompany or join family members, of late, more and more women are migrating on their own. Though research studies on migration claim that they are gender-neutral , in fact they are not. Often they end up utilizing models of migration based on the experience of men. Women even if considered are treated as dependents and their contributions are ignored. (U.N.2005).

Whether they are in traditional or modern job, migration itself can be an empowering experience for women since they move away from situations where they were under traditional patriarchal authority to situations in which they can exercise greater autonomy over their own lives.6 When women get empowered they benefit themselves and the larger community. The expansion of womens capabilities not only enhances womens own freedom and well-being but also has many other effects on the lives of all.

Hugo 2000 p-299.