Gendered Labor Migration Social Costs
Observational StudyClinical Trial
Women in India are underrepresented in the formal labor force and face high social costs, mobility restrictions, and extreme loneliness when migrating from rural communities to urban industrial centers.
Picture this
Moving away from close-knit rural villages isolates young women from their natural support systems, similar to a student transferring to a far-away boarding school with strict curfew rules. This psychological distance reduces their willingness and ability to remain in urban jobs.
What the evidence says
Female labor force participation in India stood at 27 percent in 2018 (half the global average); baseline loneliness among young migrant workers equals levels found in older adults aged 32–47 and chronically ill individuals.
- Who was studied
- N = 2,000 female migrant workers aged 18–30 migrating from rural communities over 100 kilometers away to Bangalore, India.
- How
- Observational baseline assessment within a randomized controlled trial context in garment manufacturing facilities.
What to do
Identify and reduce mobility restrictions and social barriers faced by rural female migrants during their transition into urban formal employment.
From the source
"At 27 percent, female labor force participation in India was roughly half of the global average in 2018 and continues to decline."
Alleviating Loneliness Among Female Migrant Garment Workers in India