The Precarity of Women’s Short-Term Migration: A Case Study from Nepal

Abstract

This article explores precarity in short-term women’s migration using the case study of Nepal. Women migrate from Nepal for short-term contract work mostly in the domestic care sector. This research has used both focus group discussions and key informant interviews with returned and prospective migrants, as well as NGO staff and others supporting migration. A picture of the precarity of women’s short-term migration from Nepal to the Middle East has emerged, with the motivation for women’s migration being complex, and while it is primarily financial and for some an economic necessity, there are also broader implications, and the argument that migration can expand women’s choices and opportunities, and possibly be empowering. The research found that this applies to relatively few women migrants. Nepalese women face considerable risks, and migration is precarious due to restrictions and controls along each step of the migration pathway.