Temporary Labor Migration and Spouses' Marital Quality: Evidence from Nepal

Abstract

Objective This study investigated the effect of temporary labor migration on spouses' marital quality. Background How temporary international labor migration affects the marital relationship remains unclear. Research shows migration increases couples' risk of dissolution, whereas studies of spouses' marital quality—much of which is cross‐sectional and/or limited to either internal or joint migration—is more mixed. This lack of consensus masks the possibility that, under certain conditions, migration may improve spouses' marital quality. Method This study uses data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study, a panel study set in Nepal, and primary data collected among a subsample of migrant husbands (in East Asia, Middle East) and their wives and nonmigrant couples (in Nepal). Results Findings from linear regression models show that, relative to non‐migrant spouses, spouses engaged in temporary international labor migration report significantly higher marital quality—less conflict and more love—net of marital quality assessed 6 years earlier. However, these benefits are not enjoyed equally between spouses: husbands' marital quality improves, whereas changes in their wives' are less conclusive. Conclusion The fact that these benefits (a) diverge from previous understandings and (b) vary by spouse's gender extends current understandings of the conditions shaping this association: social and structural forces supporting men as breadwinners, a strong husband–wife bond facilitating husbands' migration, and marriage‐protective social environments at both ends of migration.

Long-term Consequences of Men’s Migration for Women’s Well-being in a Rural African Setting

“…Nobles et al (2015) found in their analysis of three waves of the Mexican Family Life Survey, the association between migrant husband's absence and wife's psychological well-being is modest in magnitude and the negative effects tend to disappear after husband's return. E. L. Compernolle (2021), using data from rural Nepal, did not detect any consistent effects of men's labor out-migration on left-behind wives' perceptions of their marital quality. And some studies have also argued that the benefits of migration-generated financial remittances and women's decision-making autonomy may outweigh the deleterious psychological and emotional consequences of husband's absence (Arias 2013;Ghimire et al 2021;Yabiku et al 2010).…”

“…Nobles et al (2015) found in their analysis of three waves of the Mexican Family Life Survey, the association between migrant husband’s absence and wife’s psychological well-being is modest in magnitude and the negative effects tend to disappear after husband’s return. E. L. Compernolle (2021), using data from rural Nepal, did not detect any consistent effects of men’s labor out-migration on left-behind wives’ perceptions of their marital quality.…”

Love is Elsewhere: Internal Migration and Marriage Prospects in China

“…These structural problems might motivate responsive changes in the matching norms, such as greater social acceptance of male status/age hypergamy, especially among groups with the worst marriage prospect under the current situation (Bergstrom & Lam, 1991;Esteve et al, 2012Esteve et al, , 2016. The emergence of matrilocal marriage in some developed areas in China might have marked the beginning of such changes (The Economist, 2017, 2021.…”

“…Relationship dissolution also motivates relocation (Cooke et al, 2016;Feijten & Van Ham, 2007;Ferrari et al, 2019;Flowerdew & Al-Hamad, 2004;Mikolai & Kulu, 2018;Wall & Von Reichert, 2013). On the other hand, migration separating couples might affect marital quality and stability, but the direction of the effects depends on the purpose and duration of migration (Bhargava & Tan, 2018;Compernolle, 2021;Frank & Wildsmith, 2005;Li, 2018;Muszynska & Kulu, 2007).…”

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Marital Intimacy among Nepali Married Couples: A Transcendental Phenomenological Approach

“…The first gap is as most studies have failed to emphasize critical dimensions of marital intimacy. Few studies have highlighted marital relationships in Nepali marriages, such as Compernolle (2021), Rai and Dangal (2021), Van 't Noordende et al (2016), andMcGhee et al (2021). Still, the focus is limited to sexual and reproductive health and marital relationship, intimate partner violence (IPV) and marital relationship, and husband's labor migration and marital relationships.…”