Middle East Avenue: Female Migration From Sri Lanka to the Gulf by Grete Brochmann

Author:Grete Brochmann [Brochmann, Grete]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Asia, General
ISBN: 9780813386171
Google: L7OyAAAAIAAJ
Goodreads: 3773126
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 1993-05-13T00:00:00+00:00

Initial Resources

We have seen how Sri Lankan society has undergone major economic changes since 1972, which in turn has led to transformations in other spheres of society. The consumer ideology has had an impact all the way down to the poorest sections of the population, leaving the poor with higher expectations but with limited possibilities of improving their standard of living. Money has become increasingly instrumental in achieving a respectable social status. Money has also proved the unchallenged driving force behind the Middle East migration.8 In fact, the Marga study indicates that “the lure of money would have overridden all other considerations in accepting whatever is given” (Marga, 1986:85). The women involved take risks that they would never have taken in their own country, the majority (52%) having no specific knowledge in advance about the specific job they are undertaking for two years overseas (Marga, 1986:85). The contract consequently serves as a lottery ticket the migrant pins her hopes on because of the demonstration effect of the relative success of some neighbors.

Table 5.8 Number of Contracts for Gulf Employment, Colombo Compared to Hambantota

Number of Contracts

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