Impacts of migration on time allocation of those who remain at home in rural Nepal

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines the effects of migration on time allocation in work activities of left‐behind family members in Nepal with attention to gender and age. Based on Nepal's Labor Force Survey, we find that, in response to an outmigration of a family member, working‐age women allocate more time towards agriculture and domestic and care work, while the amount of time working‐age men and women spend on collecting water and firewood also rises. Migration also increases girls' and women's time in non‐agricultural responsibilities. Thus, migration generates a loss in household labour supply and reshapes household division of labour in labour‐intensive activities and traditional gender roles.