ABSTRACT
The chapter explores some of the contemporary features and characteristics of female migration and the relationship between female migrations and economic changes particularly in the context of employment. It argues that while on the surface there are apparently growing opportunities for migration-based employment for women, such employment-related regimes of work/residence may actually reduce the scope for autonomy, growth and development for women. It highlights the findings of the Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS) study. The often assumed direct relationship between migration and empowerment are criticized for its failure in accounting the complexity of female labour migration in terms of context, pattern, social, and economic processes involved in migration and the employment dimension of such mobility. The chapter suggests that the entry of tribal women to urban domestic work has lead to the transformation in their roles and status in the home community alongside changes in values, life styles and perceptions.
