Thiruvananthapuram: A 2022 World Bank study has highlighted significant differences in gender attitudes among men returning to Kerala from Saudi Arabia, prompting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to call for introspection and discussion.
The study, based on the 2013 Kerala Migration Survey, examined 256 Saudi Arabia returnees, 322 migrants returning from other Gulf countries and 8,614 non-migrants. Researchers found Saudi returnees were more conservative on issues including gender roles, household decision-making and attitudes towards gender-based violence.
According to the study, 43% of Saudi returnees agreed that a man has the right to beat his wife if she disobeys him. Around 53% also believed a woman or girl going out alone after dark was responsible if she was sexually assaulted.
However, the research also found that Saudi returnees were less conservative regarding women’s employment, indicating that the findings did not represent a blanket opposition to women’s participation in society.
Tharoor described the findings as disturbing and said the import of conservative attitudes from abroad needed serious discussion within the Muslim community.
The study does not establish a simple cause-and-effect link between migration and changing social attitudes. Instead, it raises questions about how migration experiences may influence social norms after migrants return home.