Investigating Outmigration and the Role of Women in Economic Development in the Indian Himalayan Hill State of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Outmigration refers to the displacement of a residence of a particular from one place to another in search of livelihood. Outmigration can occur within a country or across international borders. Economic factors, such as income level and employment opportunities, are significant drivers of outmigration. It is anticipated that there tends to be an escalating discrepancy in living standards between rural and urban regions within rapidly developing economies, including India, consequently resulting in a surge of rural-to-urban migration. Internal migration within India, driven by urbanization and wage differences between rural and urban areas, is far greater than international migration. Outmigration from rural areas is the sole reason that provides an answer to the problem of depopulation of rural areas, leading to significant changes in the socio-economic landscape. Several scholars attribute the causes of migration to push factors such as impoverishment, agrarian crisis, and economic inequality. Outmigration from the Himalayan hill region of India has resulted in a decline in population density, abandoned houses and land, and an increase in poverty and unemployment, especially among women, children, and older people left behind. newline