ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that unusually large proportions of divorced multiple movers were literate and had education up to ten or more grades. It suggests that the higher mobility of the group is likely to be related to a need for employment. The urban population in Pakistan has grown from about 18 percent in 1951 to about 26 percent in 1972. Social norms in Pakistan generally dictate a highly sheltered status for women, particularly younger women. Age has an intrinsic positive effect on widowhood, and earlier migration streams can be expected to have higher proportions of widowed men and women than recent streams. The general pattern of higher literacy rates among migrants persisted after the age and marital status of women were controlled. The widowed and divorced women constitute two groups who would theoretically be in greatest need of employment—particularly if the family structure that is expected to provide shelter and sustenance for these women is weak or absent.
