Assessing the Perception of Left-Behind Wives about Their Husbands’ Out-Migration: A Study of Rural Varanasi, India

The migration from the villages to the urban centres has been a source of mixed blessings i.e. remittances, to some extent, have bankrolled to meet the both ends, while the social costs are a cause of great concern. Hence, an attempt has been made in this paper to study the perception of the wives left behind about their husbands’ out-migration. Primary data has been collected during January-March 2010 by undertaking a complete house listing of six villages of Pindra block of Varanasi, a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. The left-behind wives have accepted that conjugal separation is the need of the time. They would even allow their sons to out-migrate. They have felt the economic benefits of migration. Atleast, now they can pay off their debts. However, the social costs cannot be sidelined. Infact, the children yearn for their fathers’ affection.