| Author | Luitel, Seema |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GD-06-15 |
| Subject(s) | Rural-urban migration--Nepal--Kathmandu
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. GD-06-15 |
| Abstract | Migration is a very common phenomenon in today's world, and Nepal is not an exception.
With lack of access to services, significant proportion of the rural population in Nepal is
constantly moving to the urban areas, and Kathmandu has always been the most preferred
destination for them. To adjust into a new locality is always a challenge for the migrants.
This study has made an effort to explore and analyze how men and women migrants
exercise their social capital with their place of origin and in the new destination to build
and maintain their social networks. The study was conducted in Tinthana VDC which is
outskirts of Kathmandu in Nepal. The primary data were collected using various tools like,
key informants interview, focus group discussion, survey questionnaire and semi structure
questionnaire with the tenant migrants. The purposive sampling has been used to trace out
the migrant tenants who were living in one house for not less than a year. Both qualitative
and quantitative research methods have been used for data analysis.
The study has explored and explained how the migrants, as men with son's role and
women with the role of daughter in-law build and maintain their social capital with their
parents, in-laws and relatives at the place of origin. The study shows that the sense of
marginalization is prevalent among the migrant tenants. The discrimination felt by the
migrant tenants might be intentional or unintentional exercised by the old settlers and the
house owners, however, that prevails in that VDC. Water scarcity has been found as main
discriminatory factor. The old settlers have strong feeling of belongingness in that
particular place, thus claiming to have more authority to use basic necessities like water. It
is found that most of the women migrants are exercising their social capital with house
owners and old settlers to ease their daily struggle to get water. Similarly, men and women
migrants are found to have maintained their social networks to their place of origin as well.
Women migrants are found to have made more efforts than the men to maintain the
relationship at the place of origin. Women in the role of daughter in-law and to protect the
image of being a "perfect woman" are found to have exercised their social capital in
different ways.
This study has argued that women with gendered expectations from the society are more
responsible than men to build and maintain the networks at the place of destination and
origin. Hence women are the "carriers of the societal norms and values". It is proved that
selectivity of social capital by the migrants is entirely based on their position being as a son
and daughter in-law, status, income level, education level, income level, caste, ethnicity
and the length of stay in the place of origin and destination. |
| Year | 2006 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. GD-06-15 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Gender and Development Studies (GD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Resurreccion, Bernadette P.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Earth, Barbara;Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | NORAD; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2006 |