ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter I discussed the wider structural context in which the women’s migration takes place. Although larger structural forces have a profound effect on people’s behaviour, usually not enough attention is paid to the choices and decisions that people make, and the actions that they take. People do not just react, they also act. They also do not act purely out of pragmatic rationality, to further economic interests – although it is an aspect of their motivation. People also act because of a host of other reasons. I decided to ask the Bidayuh women in this study who made the decision for them to migrate and why. Before I interviewed the women, I also held the belief that the main reason for the women’s migration was financial in nature. However, as I read the transcripts of the taped interviews, I began to realise that the picture was more complex than I first envisaged.
