Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
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A Happiness Paradox: Understanding the Impact of Migration on Women Left Behind in Pakistan
Mansoor Ahmed Koondhar1, Noshaba Aziz2
1School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, China, People's Republic of; 2School of Economics, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo China
Migration is a transformative process that significantly impacts household dynamics and individual well-being, especially for women left behind. This study examines how migration influences the happiness and subjective well-being of women in migrant households in Punjab, Pakistan. Using data from the 2017–2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), the analysis employs Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to address selection bias and ordinal logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between migration, remittances, and happiness. The results demonstrate that migration positively affects women’s happiness by improving household economic conditions through remittances. However, the findings also reveal regional variations and highlight the influence of factors such as education, safety perceptions, and wealth in mediating these effects. While migration alleviates financial stress, it also places additional emotional and managerial responsibilities on women. These insights underscore the need for policies that balance economic benefits with the social and emotional challenges faced by women left behind, fostering holistic improvements in their quality of life.
Double burden or burdenless? A mixed-method study on women’s empowerment in the face of large-scale male labor migration from rural Tajikistan
Mohru Mardonova, Isabel Lambrecht, Sarah Pechtl, Sharanya Rajiv
International Food Policy Research Institute
Family structure (whether living with parent, parents-in-law, or separately) shapes women left behind empowerment, where women living separately in the absence of their husbands become head of the household and obtain higher decision-making power. However, some claim that once their husband migrates, they are burdened with the dual responsibility of performing task that traditionally associated for woman and those for men. Those who live with parents-in-law in most of the cases are not the primary receivers of the remittances and don’t have clear idea about the amount that was sent. In some cases, women reported having more responsibilities when their husband is present.
Empowering Women and Reclaiming Roots: Women’s Regenerative Farming Creates Livelihoods and Counters Migration
Kritika Mishra1, Farhat Naz2
1PhD Research Scholar, School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India; 2Associate Professor, School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
The humanization of climate change leaves accelerating consequences of rural out-migration as a pressing challenge. In the Himalayas of India, especially in the Garhwal Himalayas, the unpredictable rainfall patterns, and limited economic opportunities are reshaping human-environment interactions and livelihoods. Climate change has intensified rural out-migration, depopulating many villages in the region. In this changing landscape, women are emerging as key agents of resilience, leading community-driven initiatives to address environmental and economic challenges. The temporal existence of the role of gendered approaches to climate change has emerged as a pathway in addressing migration issues. Gender-sensitive climate adaptation has become one of the most powerful perspectives for promoting community-level development and its role in combating rural out-migration. This study explores how women-led regenerative farming at Marrora Forest Farms in Uttarakhand, India offers a sustainable alternative to migration by restoring degraded land, improving agricultural productivity, and fostering economic stability. Through a gendered lens of climate adaptation, the study highlights the transformative potential of empowering women. It sheds light on how the quality of life can be improved in rural areas, reducing migration pressures and fostering regional stability. This study is guided by a mixed theoretical framework drawing on Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) and Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). Women’s socio-ecological awareness and practices of community-led initiatives showcase women as warriors in these efforts.
