Myth of empowerment of women migrants: Post-COVID scenario of returnee women migrants in Bangladesh

Md. Shofiqul Islam Nahid; Tasnim Rois Rinti

doi:10.31893/humanitj.2024006

Keywords:

Abstract

This article explores the complex interactions that affect women migrants in Bangladesh with a focus on their experiences as return migrants during the post-COVID. Worldwide migration patterns have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Bangladesh is no exception. It is critical to comprehend the difficulties and opportunities experienced by women migrants during this time, as the pandemic disrupted businesses and compelled many migrant workers to return home. Due to economic reasons and the search for better employment prospects, female migration has significantly increased in Bangladesh in recent decades. However, the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent migrant repatriation have brought to light the numerous difficulties faced by women who have traveled overseas as workers. The article investigates how their migrating experiences and contributions have been viewed in Bangladeshi culture in terms of empowerment by analyzing Naila Kabeer’s three-dimensional framework (Resource, Agency, and Achievement). This research also contributes to the ongoing conversation on migration, gender, and empowerment scenarios by shedding light on the post-COVID environment for returnee women migrants to support inclusive sustainable development in the sphere of women empowerment in Bangladesh.
References
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Nahid, M. S. I., & Rinti, T. R. (2024). Myth of empowerment of women migrants: Post-COVID scenario of returnee women migrants in Bangladesh. Humanities Journal, 1(2), 2024006. https://doi.org/10.31893/humanitj.2024006

[1] Afrin, S., Islam, N., & Ahmed, S. (2010). Microcredit and rural women entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh: A multivariate model. Journal of Business and Management, 16(1).

[2] Ahamed, F. U., Islam, M. S., & Nasrullah, A. M. (Eds.). (2022). Rethinking Development in South Asia: Issues, Perspectives and Practices.

[3] Ahsan, M (2021). Women and Migration: A Sociological Review on The Current Trends and Future of Women Migration in Bangladesh. In Küreselleşen Dünyada Kadın ve Siyaset II (pp. 165-179). Transnational Press London.

[4] Akkoyunlu, S. (2013). Migration-Induced women’s empowerment: The case of Turkey. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2378832

[5] Allard, J., Jagnani, M., Neggers, Y., Pande, R., Schaner, S., & Moore, C. T. (2022). Indian female migrants face greater barriers to post-COVID recovery than males: Evidence from a panel study. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Retrieved from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.03.22275964

[6] Ansar, A. (2022). Bangladeshi women migrants amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic: Revisiting globalization, dependency and gendered precarity in South–South labour migration. Global Networks, 23(1), 31–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12368

[7] Antecol, H., & Bedard, K. (2005). Unhealthy assimilation: Why do immigrants converge to American health status levels? SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.758347

[8] Bagasao, I. F. (2008). Migrant economic empowerment as an approach to rights awareness and human development. In Moving Ou,t Back and Up: International Migration and Development Prospects in the Philippines (pp. 173–183). Scalabrini Migration Center.

[9] Batliwala , S. (1994). The Meaning of Women’s Empowerment: New Concepts from Action. In Population policies reconsidered: Health, empowerment, and rights (pp. 127–138). Harvard University Press.

[10] Borjas, G. J., Chiswick, B. R., Borjas, G. J., & Chiswick, B. R. (2019). Assimilation, changes in cohort quality, and the earnings of immigrants. In Foundations of Migration Economics (pp. 41–66). Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198788072.003.0003

[11] Chowdhury, S. (2021). Women migration in Bangladesh: returnee migrants and re-migration challenges during COVID-19 (Doctoral dissertation, Brac University).

[12] Chowdhury, S., & Reza, S. (2023). Return and re-migration challenges for Bangladeshi female migrants in the middle east during the COVID pandemic. Journal of Social and Humanities Studies. https://doi.org/10.56388/jshs230708

[13] Dias, M. and L. Wanasundera (2002). Sri Lankan Migrant Garment Factory Workers: Mauritius and Sultanate of Oman, Study Series no. 27, Colombo/Sri Lanka: Centre for Women’s Research (CENWOR).

[14] Durano, M. (2005) “Women in international trade and migration: Examining the global provision of care services”, Gender and Development Discussion Paper Series, International Gender and Trade Network

[15] Eastmond, Marita. 1993. Reconstructing life: Chilean refugee women and the dilemmas of exile. In Migrant women: Crossing boundaries and changing identities, edited by Gina Buijs. Oxford, UK: Berg.

[16] Espiritu, Y. L. (1997). Asian American Women and Men Thousand Oaks.

[17] Flynn, Don and Eleonore Kofman (2004) “Women, trade and migration”, Gender and development, 12 (2): 66-72.

[18] Foner, Nancy. 1998. Towards a comparative perspective on Caribbean migration. In Caribbean migration: Globalized identities, edited by Mary Chamberlain. New York: Routledge.

[19] Ghosh, J. (2009). Migration and gender empowerment: Recent trends and emerging issues.

[20] Gilbertson, G. A., & Gurak, D. T. (1993). Broadening the enclave debate: The labor market experiences of Dominican and Colombian men in New York city. Sociological Forum, 8(2), 205–220. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01115490

[21] Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette. 1994a. Gendered transitions: Mexican experiences of immigration. Los Angles: University of California Press.

[22] Hossain, N. (2021). The sdgs and the empowerment of Bangladeshi women. The Palgrave Handbook of Development Cooperation for Achieving the 2030 Agenda: Contested Collaboration, 453-474.

[23] Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment. Development and Change, 30(3), 435–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7660.00125

[24] Kawar, M. (2004). Jordanian womens voices on impact of work. Al-Raida, 22-23.

[25] Malhotra, A., Schuler, S. R., & Boender, C. (2002). Measuring Women’s Empowerment as a Variable in International Development. Background Paper Prepared for the World Bank Workshop on Poverty and Gender: New Perspectives.

[26] Nawaz, F., & Tonny, T. A. (2020). Reintegration challenges of migrants in Bangladesh: A study on forced returnee women migrants from Saudi Arabia. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 1(1), 49–58.

[27] Paul, G. K., Sarkar, D. C., & Naznin, S. (2016). Present situation of women empowerment in Bangladesh. Int J Math Sta Invention, 4(8), 31-38.

[28] Pessar (1999). The role of gender, households, and social networks in the migration process: A review and appraisal. In The handbook of international migration: The American experience, edited by Charles Hirschman, Philip Kasinitz, and Josh DeWind. New York: Russell Sage

[29] Piper, N. (2005) “Gender and migration”, Paper prepared for the Policy Analysis and Research Programme of the Global Commission on International Migration

[30] Raymond, Janice G, Jean D’Cunha, Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, H. Patricia Hynes, Zoraida Ramirez Rodriguez and Aida Santos (2002) A Comparative Study of Women Trafficked in the Migration Process, N. Amherst, MA: Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), available at www.catwinternational.org

[31] Report, S. D. (2021, March 6). The Daily Star. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/bangladesh/news/49924-female-migrant-workers-return-home-21-countries-amid-covid-19-pandemic-brac-migration-2055981

[32] Rose, G. (1993). Feminism & geography: The limits of geographical knowledge. U of Minnesota Press.

[33] Sahay, S. (1998). Women and empowerment: Approaches and strategies. Discovery Publishing House.

[34] Torres, Anastasia Bermudez (2002) Gender and Forced Migration, FMO Research Guide, http://www.forcedmigration.org/guides/fmo007/default.htm

[35] UN Women. (2020, April 27). Far from the spotlight, women workers are among the hardest hit by COVID-19 in Bangladesh.

[36] United Nations (2022). “Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.” United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 2022, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/.

[37] Zaman, B., Prodhan, M., & Khan, M. M. R. (2012). Money Management Education for the Adolescent Girls and Women in Bangladesh. UITS (University of Information Technology and Science) Journal, 1(2).

[38] Zhou, Y. (2000). The fall of “the other half of the sky”? chinese immigrant women in the new york area. Women’s Studies International Forum, 23(4), 445–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0277-5395(00)00106-0

[39] Zlotnik, H. (2003, March 1). The Global Dimensions of Female Migration. Migrationpolicy.org. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/global-dimensions-female-migration

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References

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