Rural-urban migration and poverty in South Asia

Abstract

Analyses the process of rural-urban migration of landless rural families in South Asia using field data from Dattabad slum in Calcutta and from Notuk village in Midnapur District, West Bengal, India, and from Ekdala and South Rampur villages in Bangladesh. Results reveal that diminishing access to non-market goods and lack of employment of females caused a significant fall in family income which forced these rural families to migrate to Dattabad slum. Their migration-decision was linked to the onset of poverty and lack of economic security for them. This suggests the importance of a "push-factor" in their migration-decision. While all family members migrated together and all hoped to find some employment in Calcutta, only female members in all families were employed. This was in unskilled jobs. Males were frequently unemployed and were in a less satisfactory economic situation than was anticipated prior to migration.