What is Rural Migration? Explained

Content

Introduction
Theoretical Perspectives on Reasons for Rural Migration
Impact of Rural Migration on Urban Areas
Rural Migration: Gender Dimension

Introduction

Migration is defined as a move from one migration defining area to another, usually crossing administrative boundaries made during a given migration interval and involving a change of residence (UN, 1993). Migration implies the disruption of employment, school, social life, and other routines in addition to its spatial component. A migrant is someone who discontinues their involvement in groups and activities in one location and rearranges their daily routine in a different one. Depending on the circumstances, the move may be permanent, semi-permanent, or transitory. Internal migration refers to moving within a country's borders. A person in India was only regarded as a migrant if they had relocated from their district of birth to another district or state prior to 1951, when the concept of migration was first introduced.

Internal migration in India is complicated by its relationship to many socioeconomic factors and impulsive causes for people to stray. The relationship between social and economic difficulties can be generally applied to a variety of causes for migration at the individual or group level. However, there could be a variety of circumstances that cause population redistribution, and some of those circumstances might also influence how a migrant chooses their destination. These include things like the cost of living, farm poverty, family and friend ties, attractiveness to the community, desirable work, drift due to drought or flood conditions, education, and marriage. Rich people who own land as well as landless people may migrate in search of a higher standard of living. In addition, early retirement from the military and other governmental services as well as death of a spouse, parent, child, or other relative may also be factors in why people migrate to the country. For large-scale construction projects or relocation, migration occurs through brokers or agents at the community level.

In addition, economic forces may act as additional motivating factors for significant population movement through opportunities for capital investment in the manufacturing, processing, and other industries, business depressions or fluctuations, changes in technology and technology transfer, expansion or establishment of economic organizations resulting in the need for a particular type of labor force, and changes to the economic-administrative structure. In addition to contributing to social transformation, the recent stages of radio and television coverage across the nation, their programs, and commercial promotions, may also inspire individuals to relocate, particularly from rural areas.

As a result, the general observation demonstrates that people of all classes, even the wealthy, frequently relocate. But a deeper look reveals that there is a distinction. This is clear when we consider who moves when, why, and with what outcomes. Such movement could be divided into intentional and involuntary movements in a broader context. Migration as a phenomena falls under the first category, whereas forced migration—that is, being evicted from one's home or compelled to leave one's way of life—is under the second. However, these distinctions are not always clear-cut. For instance, poverty-induced migration of people may appear to be choice but is actually forced because it is done to get around challenging situations. Therefore, there are many different scenarios where there is no option in the economic, social, or political spheres of human existence. When we examine why the poor move, we see that it is mostly for survival. People are so mired in poverty that they must relocate in order to survive. In the instance of development-induced displacement, individuals are frequently the poorest of the poor in the region and are often the victims, and are compelled to leave for their existence. It is not for the development or possibilities; rather, it is for their survival. Conflict-related displacements are again for survival, as we discover when we investigate them. After providing a general overview of migration and potential causes, let's now thoroughly investigate the theoretical stances that support these causes of rural migration.

Theoretical Perspectives on Reasons for Rural Migration

While migration is increasingly recognized as a major factor in the lives of the rural poor in India, there are several reasons pointed out for the same. On the one hand, the Marxists focus on the structural factors being responsible for migration of rural poor. According to them, poor people migrate as they are exploited by the dominant classes as well as due to the actions of large –scale capital which leads to uneven patterns of ‘proletarianisation’ and ‘depeasantisation’ (Breman, 1996).

Neo-classical economists, on the other hand, see labor mobility as a migrant's rational decision to migrate from a poor agricultural rural location to a richer industrial urban one (Mosse et al., 2002). This viewpoint emphasizes the "pull factor" for greater economic chances by viewing labor migration as a free decision made in response to a variety of geographic economic prospects (Jacob, 2008). In the Indian context, Deshingkar (2008) supports this viewpoint by emphasizing how the expanding chances in the informal sector—which accounts for 60% of the GDP and 90% of the workforce—give rural migrants more opportunities to transfer between several low-profile jobs.

In addition to these two conflicting viewpoints on rural migration, the "neo-malthusian" variant of structural analysis sees these migrants as "ecological refugees" who have been forced out by environmental disasters (such as drought and crop failure), declining agricultural opportunities (such as declining production, land fragmentation, and declining agricultural commodity prices), debt cycles, demographic pressure, deforestation, soil erosion, or water scarcity, as well as natural calamities (such as crop failure and drought), debt cycles (Mosse et al 2002; Deshingkar 2008). Therefore, the various theoretical stances either emphasize "push" or "pull" aspects behind the occurrence of rural migration, classifying it as "involuntary" or "voluntary" appropriately.

Sociological and anthropological studies have advanced beyond "push-and-pull" theories during the past fifteen years or more, and now tend to see labor migration as a complicated process that combines structure and agency and rejects the idea that "urban" work and "rural" life are fundamentally distinct . As opposed to being purely economic, they also describe migration as a "dynamic socio-political process" and as a component of the "normal" livelihood strategy of poor people throughout India, not just during times of crisis. In other words, the'multi-locational' means of the rural poor in India. Here, "livelihood" refers to more than just surviving; it also takes into account social issues; financial success is merely one of the motivations for leaving.

Developing new skills and networks, experiencing a new area, avoiding social restraints at home (particularly in the case of women), and other factors are possible additional motivations. It is exceedingly challenging and frequently problematic to generalize when it comes to the meaning and factors that drive labour migration in India because they differ from region to region and from immigrant to immigrant. Nevertheless, it is increasingly being viewed as a crucial concern for the nation's development.

Impact of Rural Migration on Urban Areas

Numerous issues affect the large-scale, troubled migration of people from rural to urban regions, which contributes to India's imbalanced urbanization and severe urban deterioration. Poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment rise as a result of mass migration. First, poor agricultural laborers and subsistence farmers from backward regions relocate to urban centers like Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, and other large towns. They are landless, illiterate, and unskilled. Due to these movement trends, there are more urban slums and sidewalk houses, which leads to poor living conditions in urban cities. In addition, it causes a shortage of basic necessities like food, water, energy, sanitation, and transportation as well as extreme housing.

Second, as metropolitan areas become more industrialized, there are fewer options for unskilled migrants to find high-paying employment. As a result, the migrants receive exceedingly poor pay. They are also taken advantage of since they lack information and abilities. Although such movement prevents starvation, their economic situation is unaffected. Thirdly, urban slums have low levels of human development, particularly as a result of inadequate water, power, and sanitation. Last but not least, the growing disparity between rich and poor in metropolitan areas may cause serious social unrest, intense class strife, crimes, widespread violence, and urban civil war (Mukherji, 2000).

Rural Migration: Gender Dimension

Male migration over longer periods of time and to farther-off regions, primarily to work as unpaid laborers, is another facet of migration. Regarding the Santhals, Rao & Rana (1997) draw attention to the effects of male migration on women. Although many male migrants do send money home by money order, the transfers are frequently erratic. When they go home, many men take the cash with them. After that, it is used for large needs like home repairs or debt repayment. As a result, it doesn't do much to help with home maintenance on a daily basis. Male migration actually increases the physical and financial obligations placed on women, as a result of overwork, which results in ill health and debt. The necessity to manage the household on a daily basis until the monetary remittance, which is typically insufficient, arrives, as well as deal with the kids and family dynamics, adds to the emotional stress and tensions. Women are obliged to seek employment as wage labor in the nearby villages because they are responsible for taking care of their homes and cattle on their own when the males are abroad. This brings us full circle back to the female laborer who faces the possibility of sexual harassment while also struggling to care for her kids and maintain personal ties. Children are occasionally gradually incorporated into the workforce in a supportive capacity, if not directly. However, this is not a singular instance involving only the Santhals; women from many impoverished, landless rural homes, when the men relocate to urban regions in quest of employment, also experience identical issues.

Reference

Breman, Jan. 1996. Foot Loose Labour. London: Cambridge University Press.
Deshingkar, Priya, and Shaheen, Akter. 2009. Migration and Human Development in India, UNDP Report 1993, Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House.
De Haan, A. 1999. ‘Livelihood and poverty: The role of migration- a critical review of the migration literature,’ Journal of Development Studies, 36: 1-47.
Everette, S. Lee. 1975. ‘A theory of Migration,’ Demography, 3: 47-57.