408 Work
Migration
Many women work away from their homes. Some women
travel daily from home to work, while others have moved
many miles to live near work. This is called ‘migration’.
Most often women move from rural areas to cities where
big factories offer jobs, or where they can get jobs as domestic
workers. Some women choose to move, but others are
forced to move because there is no food or work at home, or
because factories offer more money. Often the money these
women make is very important for supporting their families
back home.
When women migrate, they may be alone for the first time.
This can be very frightening because they are away from the
family and friends who gave them support.
Remember that
everyone feels alone
at first. This is natural.
Here are a few things you can do to make yourself feel
more comfortable in a new home:
• Make friends with other women at work. These women
can become a new source of support.
• Find a safe place to live.
Many companies run their
own hostels. Some are
safe, but many are not.
Sometimes they are places
where women live in poor
conditions and pay too
much money for rent. The
company may also take
advantage of these women
because they do not have
control over where they live.
Avoid dangerous situations like
walking home alone at night.
Sometimes the only way to get safe housing is to find
it yourself. Here is an example of a woman’s group that
organized for safe housing:
Women who work making clothes in factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh, became
tired of their poor, unhealthy living conditions, where they were often sexually
harassed and abused. With help from a woman with management experience,
they set up 2 hostels. Now the workers pay part of their wages to the hostel.
In return, the staff, who are all women, provide food, cooking utensils, blankets,
clothing, and other help. The workers are safe and close to work, and are able
to save more of their wages.
—Bangladesh
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012