Spousal migration and well-being of married women in Southwestern Bangladesh

In this research, we examine the differentiated experiences of married women as a function of their husbands’ migration status (current migrant or not). Utilizing multiple regression models, we investigate whether husbands’ migration status correlates with the mental and physical health of women, controlling for socio-economic and demographic variables. We also explore whether environmental stress interacts with husband’s migration status to predict well-being. In the last set of models, we limit the sample to remained-behind women whose husbands are current migrants to examine whether the conditions of the husbands’ trip relate to the outcome variables. Though remained-behind women have better emotional and physical well-being, on average, we find no direct relationship between husbands’ migration status and women’s well-being once other variables are controlled for. However, we observe a significant interaction between remained-behind status and experience of storm-related loss or damage, suggesting that remained-behind women report poorer physical health outcomes relative to peers when exposed to storms. Emotional distress is also higher among remained-behind women living with their in-laws in storm-affected households. This research brings attention to the experiences of remained-behind women amidst increasing migration trends and provides insights into how their well-being is associated with both migration dynamics and environmental stressors.