Absentee Husband and Their Wives: A Sociological Study on Problems of Migrants’ Wife in Chandpur, Bangladesh

Abstract

Migration is a global phenomenon, deeply affecting the lives of the 200 million migrants around the globe but also the lives of those connected to them, in particular those left behind in the countries of origin especially the wives of migrants. Migration is a multi-facetted experiences that encompasses opportunities for personal, social and economic development but also include risks of violence, abuse and exploitation for the wives who are left behind in the home country. To investigate the violence of wives in absence of their husband sample has been collected from Chandpur district. It has found that 69 percent wives have faced violence in in-laws house, in which 50 percent have been suffering from psychological violence and 16 percent suffering from physical violence in in-laws house. In this research it has also explored that 70 percent remittances are sent in wives name and for this remittance wives also faced violence in in-laws house. All the respondents in this research reported that after their husband migration their workload has increased. Sometime wives faced social violence like they experienced restriction on their movement after husband migration. It has also found that in absence of husband wives engaged in extra marital relationship with their male friends. 19 percent wives engaged in this type of relationship. In absence of husband 62 percent wives need permission from their in-laws to spent the money which her husband sent from abroad. Most of the wives can not share their pain with others only 8 percent share their pain. This research study analyze the vulnerable condition of the wives after their husband migration in in-laws house and personal problem also recommended some steps for the welfare of the migrants’ wives.