Beyond Money: Does Migration Experience Transfer Gender Norms? is a World Bank Group Policy Research Working Paper published in March 2022. The study examines how migration experiences can influence social norms and attitudes towards gender, focusing on a Kerala-based migrant who returns home after working in Saudi Arabia.
In the past few days, this paper/research has been making the rounds on social media, with many people sharing it. Of course, many voices are talking about how the Kerala of today has embraced a conservative, Wahhabi, radicalised form of Islam and has moved away from the society that appreciated pluralism. There are also a few who are finding fault with the research methodology and the sample size, using it to junk its findings.
The results of what the Wahhabi import has done to our society are for us to see. One doesn’t need a World Bank report on Migration and Gender Norms to tell or retell what we already are seeing and experiencing. My father, a retired professor of English, worked in a minority institution that was in a village that is Muslim-majority. In the late 70s and 80s, when I was growing up, my house was in the adjacent small town, which was a sort of transit house for all my father’s colleagues who came to shop or to watch a movie, almost all of them Muslims.
I have never seen one lady covered in an Abaya or Hijab. The most conservative of them had the pallu of their saree covering their heads. Not even a handful of men wore skull caps throughout, although they wore one or used a handkerchief to cover their head while praying (which they did in one of the rooms at my house when they were visiting). During the Hajj and Umrah season, we used to receive boxes of dates and bottles of Zam Zam water. Today, forget about this distant village in Sivaganga district; look around in any metropolitan city in India, and you will see the difference. Let me save my commentary about the changing face of Indian Islam and focus on the World Bank report.
Introduction To The Report
Migration is often viewed through the lens of economic impact, focusing primarily on remittances and labour market outcomes. “Beyond Money: Does Migration Experience Transfer Gender Norms? Empirical Evidence from Kerala, India,” explores a different dimension of migration: its influence on gender norms. This study explores whether migration can facilitate the transfer of gender attitudes, in addition to financial resources. This essay synthesises the report’s findings and discusses their broader implications.
The Framework Of The Study
Its core lies in understanding how migration experiences, particularly in different Gulf countries, impact the gender norms of return migrants. By comparing returnees from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries with non-migrants in Kerala, the study offers insights into the social attitude spillovers of migration. The authors use data from the Kerala Migration Survey (2013), the sixth in the series of migration monitoring surveys conducted by the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. From this report, the authors chose their sample of 256 returnees from Saudi Arabia, 322 from other Gulf countries, and 8,614 non-migrants. The report employs robust methodological approaches to address selection bias and endogeneity, ensuring credible estimates of associations between migration experiences and shifts in gender norms.
Key Findings
One of the report’s pivotal findings is that return migrants from Saudi Arabia tend to hold more conservative views on certain gender-related issues than their non-migrant counterparts. This is particularly evident in their attitudes towards gender-based violence and extreme measures of physical violence against women. The institutional and social environment in Saudi Arabia appears to significantly influence these attitudes, reflecting the restrictive gender norms prevalent in the destination country. This conservatism is most pronounced in severe violence-related measures, suggesting that these norms are deeply internalised during the migration period.
In contrast, the experiences of return migrants from other Gulf countries do not mirror those of Saudi returnees. The report indicates that these individuals often do not differ significantly from non-migrants in their views on gender-based violence and extreme gender attitudes. In some instances, they are even less conservative, particularly regarding women’s employment. This divergence underscores that the Gulf is not a monolithic cultural entity and that destination-specific experiences can shape outcomes in varied ways.
The Gender Domains This Report Explores
The study explores several gender domains, including women’s employment, household decision-making, general gender attitudes, and gender-based violence. These aspects cover both everyday family roles and attitudes towards serious harm. The findings suggest that migration can influence certain domains more than others. For instance, while Saudi returnees exhibit conservative views in most areas, employment norms seem less affected compared to violence-related beliefs. This indicates that work-related norms might be more resilient to change than those related to violence.
Looking Beyond Economic Behaviour
The report argues for a broader understanding of migration’s impact, extending beyond economic behaviour to include social norms. This perspective is crucial, as migration research has traditionally focused on economic benefits such as remittances. By highlighting cultural and attitudinal shifts, the report emphasises that migrants may bring back beliefs shaped by host-country institutions, everyday interactions, or social segregation. Thus, migration’s influence extends into cultural domains, reshaping social development trajectories in origin communities.
Economic Exposure Doesn’t Necessarily Result in Attitudinal Liberalisation
The report challenges the assumption that economic exposure abroad automatically liberalises attitudes. Instead, the direction of norm change is contingent on the destination and on migrants’ experiences there. Saudi returnees, in particular, exhibit more conservative views on severe violence-related issues, suggesting that migration may reinforce or even intensify restrictive norms. This finding underscores the complexity of migration’s impact on social norms, as encapsulated in the report’s title, “Beyond Money.”
As mentioned at the start of this piece, we don’t need World Bank research to prove the two hypotheses we have been toying with in the last 30+ years.
1. Higher education and radicalisation have no correlation
2. Economic mobility and liberal thinking have no correlation
Though we have enough evidence around us to prove the two statements above, a report like this from the World Bank does get some well-known liberal names to start acknowledging migration’s impact on gender norms, challenging traditional economics-centric views.
The findings call for policymakers to take the social dimensions of migration governance seriously and ensure that reintegration programs address potential conservative shifts in gender attitudes. In a way, it is good that this study has ignited a broader discourse on migration. Let us hope something useful comes out.
अगुणस्य हतं रूपं अशीलस्य हतं कुलम् ।
असिद्धेस्तु हता विद्या अभोगस्य हतं धनम् ॥
Aguṇasya hataṁ rūpaṁ aśīlasya hataṁ kulam
Asiddhestu hatā vidyā abhogasya hataṁ dhanam.
Education without character and money without compassion are useless
PS: My father retired from another college he moved to (in Madurai) for various reasons.
Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.
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