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Over the recent years, there has been an outflow of people from the rural mountain communities and regions towards neighboring cities, for better employment and income opportunities, to improve their standard of living, and to provide better education and income opportunities to future generations. These migratory movements have led to increased pressure on the natural resources in the urban areas, but it has also increased pressure in the rural mountainous regions. When we look into the hilly areas, the households in these regions are agricultural households producing goods like wheat, rice, and grains, for their sustenance. But over the years, these households have been moving out of their villages, and homes, towards neighboring cities, for better employment, and income opportunities. The nature of the outflow of human population out of these villages has created a concept of ‘ghost villages.’ Uttarakhand has about 1700 ghost villages, while 1000 hamlets have less than 100 people.
As per NSSO data, the volume of internal migrants in India has doubled, from 2001 to 2011, from 17% to 30% in the said decade. It is projected that the urban population would reach 42.5% in 2025, by Sati (2021). As a consequence of this out-migration, the rural population has been declining, from 82% to 69%. This out-migration is usually seen in the youth members and male members of the mountainous regions, in the case of my study, this region is Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Because of this phenomenon, the entire burden of the households falls on the shoulders of the leftover women. The women end up working more hours, risking their well-being, and they end up taking more responsibility. This makes the women extremely vulnerable in terms of their health, economic position, and decision-making skills. In the absence of the “head of the household”, they also gain more autonomy and mobility. They become more equipped to deal with households and work operations, and as a consequence, be empowered.
Hence, my thesis aims to understand the impact of male outmigration on leftover households, through a gendered lens. I will use the sustainable livelihoods framework, which will be used to see the impacts on the livelihoods of the women after their male partners or husbands leave. This study will use time use sheets, semi-structured interviews, and focused group discussions, to understand the livelihood impacts.
Keywords: sustainable livelihoods, left behind women, male outmigration.
