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SHARP DETAILS OF INTERNAL FEMALE MIGRATION

Syllabus:

• GS 1 : Issues related to Women and Migration.

Focus:

• An important part of India’s socioeconomic dynamics is internal migration, yet women’s experiences are frequently overlooked in favour of male migrants.
• Internal migration is estimated by the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to be 27% between June 2020 and June 2021, underscoring its importance.
• The difficulties and nuances of internal female migration in India are explored in this editorial, along with the necessity of specific governmental interventions.

Migration in India Report 2020-21:

• Released by Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation in June 2022.
• Recorded 0.7% of the population as ‘temporary visitors’ during July 2020-June 2021.
• Temporary visitors defined as those staying continuously for 15 days or more but less than 6 months after March 2020.
• Over 84% of temporary visitors moved due to the pandemic.
• All-India migration rate:9% (July 2020-June 2021).
• Rural migration rate:5%, Urban migration rate: 34.9%.
• Females recorded a higher migration rate (47.9%) compared to males (10.7%).
• Female rural migration rate: 48%, Female urban migration rate: 47.8%.
• Male rural migration rate: 5.9%, Male urban migration rate: 22.5%.
• 8% of females migrated for marriage, while 49.6% of males migrated for employment.

Discrepancies in Survey :

• National surveys like the PLFS primarily capture the primary reasons for migration, with marriage being the dominant cause for women (81%).
• Secondary factors influencing migration decisions, such as climate shocks and economic distress, are often overlooked in these surveys.
• Data on female labour force participation among migrant women is often misrepresented, leading to an incomplete understanding of their employment status.
• Many migrant women engage in informal employment, such as agricultural labour and domestic work, which often goes unreported in official surveys.

Challenges Faced by Women:

Limited Educational Access and Social Networks:

• Limited access to education and social networks creates significant barriers for women seeking entry into the formal labour force post-migration.
• Despite educational levels being comparable between migrant and non-migrant women, migrant women are disproportionately less employed.

Cultural Barriers and Gender Norms:

• Cultural norms and perceptions regarding women’s roles often impede their employment opportunities, with many prioritizing domestic duties over formal employment.
• These gender norms perpetuate societal expectations, hindering women’s participation in the labor force.

Underreporting of Employment Status:

• National surveys often overlook informal or self-employment when defining employment, resulting in the underreporting of women’s labor force participation.
• This underrepresentation skews data on female employment rates, obscuring the true extent of women’s economic contributions.

Political Marginalization:

• Female migrants face political marginalization, with their concerns and priorities often sidelined in policymaking processes.
• Lack of political representation exacerbates their marginalization, further limiting their ability to advocate for their rights and needs.

Lack of Targeted Interventions:

• The absence of targeted policies exacerbates the challenges faced by female migrants, impeding their socio-economic integration and well-being.

Neglect in Policy Formulation:

• Existing policies targeting migrants predominantly focus on male migrants, neglecting the specific challenges confronted by women.
• The absence of gender-sensitive policies perpetuates the marginalization of female migrants, hindering their socio-economic integration.

Way Forward:

• The government plays a crucial role in shaping labour migration laws and policies to sustain migration momentum.
• It must adopt a gender-sensitive and rights-based approach to address the specific needs of female migrants.
• Creating safe public spaces and enabling infrastructure is vital for the well-being of female migrants.
• Governments should ensure protection from violence and harassment, especially from employers or strangers.
• National surveys should be enhanced to gather comprehensive data on female migrants’ socio-economic conditions post-migration.
• Learn from the Kerala Model.
• Targeted policy interventions are necessary to address the unique challenges faced by female migrants.
• Increased political representation is essential to ensure the inclusion and empowerment of female migrants.
• Collecting female-specific data will inform policymaking and raise awareness about the hurdles encountered by women migrants.

Advocating for gender-sensitive approaches and increased political representation to ensure their inclusion and empowerment in the socio-economic landscape.

Source: 

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-blurred-mapping-of-internal-female-migration/article67793617.ece/amp/

Mains Practice Question:

In what ways does political marginalisation worsen the socio-economic integration of women migrants, and what are the main problems they face?