Foreign employment and social change in biruwa rural municipality at Syangja district

Abstract

This dissertation examines thesocialchangeoccurring in Biruwa Rural Municypality Syangja Districtwhere members from 76 percent of totalpopulation households are engaged in foreign employment.Formally, they are involved asGurkhasoldiers and police who are recruited by Indian, British and Singapore Government after World WarII and still they are continuing. Theother groups of foreign employed non-Gurkha migrants are working in different parts of the world for economic benefits. The working opportunities in international labor market even for unskilled human resource and dearth of opportunities at origin has increased the significant number of migrants and inflow of remittances at origin. When analyzing the sources of living for the peoples in the study area, it was found thatwhile traditional sources such as agricultural and animal husbandry were sustainable in the past, over time, it has become more lucrative for the people to migrate abroad for work and send money back home.As a result, overseas employment has been replaced traditional agriculture as aprimary and most lucrative source of income. This shift from home-based agricultural practices to international employmenthas significantly altered various facets of society and social structure. In this evolving social context, people from the study area are encountering both economic benefits and social challenges as a result of foreign employment. To comprehend the prevailing social phenomenon, including its background, inevitability, sustainability, consistency and role in social change, as well as the challenges faced by migrants and left-behind at origin, the research has a great space to offer the critical perspective on why people go abroad and how they compromise their social bonds. To understand and analyze this social phenomenon from sociological perspective, I have developed three research issues:the determinants of push factors, the influence of migrants and remittances on social change, and difficulties faced by migrants and those they leave behind in their home country. This study is framed under the neoclassical theory of migration, which discusses expected income differential, and the new economics theory of migration, which focuses on the collective decisionto migrate in order to reduce survival risk. Additionally, it incorporates theories of social change which emphasize the evolutionary nature of society and the economy as prime moverof social change. v Methodology here is guided by both positivist and interpretive philosophies. I believe that the realitiesrelated to my research existin both objective and subjective forms. The positivist philosophy provides a framework to describe the objective reality that already exists, while the interpretive philosophyhelps understand subjective or multiple realities, which I have analyzed and interpreted from the textual data. So, information related to determinants of push factors such as production status, social hierarchy, and employment opportunities, aligns with the positivist approach. In contrast, data on opinion, attitudes, norms and values are closer tothe interpretive approach.Moreover, information concerning the difficulties faced by migrants and their left-behind encompasses both types of data. Thus,grounded in both positivist and interpretative philosophical foundation, I have conductedmy research on a sample of 102 households drawn from a total population of 560 households.These 102 sample households were purposively selected after dividing the population in different strata based on the heterogeneous characteristics of the study population, such as destination countriesof employment,nature of work, duration of employment, and monthlyincome. The tools used to collect relevant data included survey questionnaire, observation and semistructured interviews.

The finding reveals that thethree research questions are interconnected. The analysis of the first research question indicates that poor socio-political status is prevalent, with 88.2 percent of study population belonging to ethnic groups classified as disadvantaged. Current data show that there has not been a single individual from these groups involved in national-level politicsin a decision-making capacity. Similarly,factors such as small area of land holding, infertile land, underproduction, and inadequate agricultural output to meet the needs of a growing population are identified as crucial determinants of push factors leading toemployment abroad. This conclusion is drawn from analyzing three variables: production status, employment opportunities, income status,and their position within the socio-political hierarchy. In analyzing the second issue, the data indicates that following the influx of remittances and the absence of malehousehold members, there have been significant vi changes in household dynamics. These changes wereexamined across various dimensions including income, expenditure, family structure, internal migration, children’s education, norms, values, and cultural practices.The analysis reveals notable changes in migrant’s families, such as increased in income and expenditure, a decline in joint family structure and a considerable increment in nuclear families, 16 percent of sample household following dual resident and a significant increase in the number of childrenattending private boarding schools, which constitutes 56 percent from the total sample households. Moreover,a noble finding from the text data analysis was a shift in perception regarding buyer culture. Initially, buyers were often referred to as Besaha bokneindicating peoples typically from lower social strataduring a time when the economy was largely self-sustaining. However, as remittances made buying culture more feasible, the perception shifted. Now, there is a sense of respect for those who can manage their needs effectively, often expressed by the phrase they managed timely Bandobasta garisake.In addition, the major obstacles were; financial constraints, the sacrifice of social bonds, and administrative difficulties. Frequent trips to the ward office, rural municipality office, and district headquarters to obtain the official documents such as citizenship, passport and police report are noted as the most time-consuming and difficult process for them. The remittance-based communitiesface hidden and unseen experiences that are rarely mentioned as matter of confidentiality on the part of officials.