A fresh political and social debate has erupted in Kerala over the impact of Gulf migration on gender attitudes, after a World Bank research paper resurfaced in public discussion. The paper, titled “Beyond Money: Does Migration Experience Transfer Gender Norms? Empirical Evidence from Kerala, India,” examines whether migration experiences in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are associated with changes in gender attitudes among returning migrants. The study found differences between returnees from Saudi Arabia and those returning from other Gulf countries. According to the paper, Saudi returnees displayed more conservative attitudes on issues related to gender-based violence and extreme attitudes concerning violence against women, while returnees from the broader Gulf group were, on average, less conservative than non-migrants. The paper itself cautions that its findings are research results and do not represent official World Bank policy n18oc_indian18oc_politicsNews18 Mobile App – https://onelink.to/desc-youtube
Last Updated: August 23, 2026, 22:08 IST
