Women Left-Behind in Migrant Households

Abstract

Migration has become one of the most significant social phenomena of the contemporary world, particularly in developing countries such as Pakistan, where economic hardship pushes men to seek work abroad. Most existing research on migration focuses on the migrant himself, while comparatively little attention is given to the wives who remain behind and must take on new roles and responsibilities in his absence. This qualitative study explores the lived experience of left-behind women in Islamabad, Pakistan, drawing on in-depth interviews with ten women whose husbands had migrated abroad. Using purposive and snowball sampling, the study examines the push and pull factors behind migration, women's role in household decision-making, the significance of remittances for standard of living, patterns of communication with migrant relatives, and the everyday difficulties left-behind wives face. The findings suggest that although remittances offer some material relief, they rarely lift families out of poverty altogether, and that left-behind women frequently take on the burden of household headship while navigating emotional strain, social pressure, and shifting family dynamics. The study contributes to the limited body of Pakistani scholarship on women and migration and highlights the need for further research centered on women's own accounts of migration.