ABSTRACT
This chapter is an effort to review the existing literature on the relationship between international migration and the global care economy from the feminist perspective. The globalized labour market is constantly pushing women from Kerala to Persian Gulf countries for employment in the care industry. In this regard, the article explores the political and social economy of care and examines the nature and conditions of migrant women’s work in the context of two particular care sectors, namely the domestic care work and healthcare sectors (nurses as professionals). It also explores how gender roles and relations are reinforced and how the notion of masculinity and patriarchalism is reconstructed due to women’s increased participation in care industries and service sectors. It presents an overview of emigration from Kerala to Gulf regions and its gender dimensions and describes the recent trends and emerging issues. It also addresses the implications of state policy and social norms on emigration of Keralite women workers and explores issues behind the migratory experiences of women migrant domestic workers and nurses.
