Migration selectivity from rural areas: evidences from Kerala
Sekhar, T.V.
Demography India 22(2): 191-202
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0970-454X Document Number: 336701
Large scale out-migration to other countries has considerable socioeconomic implications for both the sending and receiving regions. When the better educated, more highly skilled and wealthier populations migrate, the implications are different compared with a situation where the poorest and illiterate migrate. It is therefore important to identify who in a society shows a higher propensity to migrate than others. This article focuses on this aspect of migration selectivity by studying labour migration from two villages in Kerala, India, to the Gulf countries of the Middle East. It is found that emigrants tend to be from the lower and middle class, rather than the poorest or most affluent sections of society. It further argues that kinship connections and previous migration experiences of families have a decisive role in migration selectivity, particularly from rural areas.