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Gender and Remittances: Remodelling Remittance Exposure

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Migrant Remittances in South Asia

Part of the book series: International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

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Abstract

I wrote a paper entitled ‘Exposure to Remittances: Theoretical and Empirical Implications for Gender’ that offered theoretical underpinnings of expo- sure to remittances which constituted four components (Ullah, 2013). The underlying reasons for writing that paper were manifold. Research on dynamic uses of remittances has received considerable attention from researchers and academics. A substantial debate is ongoing on whether remittance has a negative or a positive impact on development. Over the past few years, the growth of remittance has astounded policymakers. The impact on development due to remittances has made many governments accord special treatment to remittance generators (i.e. migrant workers). However, possession of remittance makes tremendous difference in its use and impact. The implication is as well crucial for those who possess remit- tance or not. An interesting question was raised in the above-mentioned paper published in the Journal of International Migration and Integration (JIMI) who earns more but possesses less and what the implications are (Ullah, 2013)? The puzzle may be that male migrants earn and possess their own earnings, but contrastingly in most cases, female migrants’ possession of their earnings goes to their male counterparts. This may be the case for some countries in the sample. The paper has not adequately answered why this happens. Is it because of cultural mores, religious orientation, political belief or social construct? How can this be equated when gender heterogeneity in migration flow is evident, for instance, as the male-female ratio of migration in Bangladesh is 98:2, while it is 40:60 in the Philippines?

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Authors
  1. A K M Ahsan Ullah
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    Md Mizanur Rahman (Senior Research Fellow) & Tan Tai Yong (Professor Tan, a historian) (Senior Research Fellow) &  (Professor Tan, a historian)

  2. American University in Cairo, Egypt

    A K M Ahsan Ullah (Associate Director) (Associate Director)

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© 2014 AKM Ahsan Ullah

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Ullah, A.K.M.A. (2014). Gender and Remittances: Remodelling Remittance Exposure. In: Rahman, M.M., Yong, T.T., Ullah, A.K.M.A. (eds) Migrant Remittances in South Asia. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137350800_3

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