OVERSEAS LABOUR MIGRATION AND SOCIAL MOBILITY: STRATEGISING INFORMAL SOCIAL SECURITY BY RURAL BANGLADESHIS

This article examines overseas labor migration as a deliberate strategy for social mobility and the creation of informal social security by rural Bangladeshis. It moves beyond a purely economic analysis of remittances to explore the social and cultural dynamics of migration. The study, based on ethnographic fieldwork, analyzes how migration is perceived and pursued by rural households as the primary pathway to escape poverty and improve their social status. The research explores how remittances are used not only for consumption but also for strategic investments in land, housing, and the education of children, which are all key markers of upward social mobility. The paper argues that migration and remittances have become a crucial form of "informal" social security, providing a safety net for households in a context where formal, state-provided social protection is weak or absent. The analysis concludes that migration is a powerful, bottom-up driver of social transformation in rural Bangladesh.

For millions of rural households in Bangladesh, overseas labor migration represents the single most important strategy for achieving a better life. This paper provides an in-depth, qualitative analysis of the linkages between migration, social mobility, and informal social security. The study begins by challenging the view of migrants as passive victims, instead portraying them as active agents who are making strategic, long-term decisions to improve the well-being of their families. The core of the article is an ethnographic exploration of how migration is transforming the social landscape of rural Bangladesh. It details how the inflow of remittances has led to the emergence of a new, more prosperous class of "migrant households," whose improved housing and consumption patterns have become a powerful symbol of success and a driver of new aspirations within the community. The paper then delves into the concept of migration as a form of informal social security. It shows how, in the absence of state-sponsored pensions or unemployment benefits, the ability to rely on a family member working abroad has become the most effective insurance against a wide range of risks, from crop failure to health emergencies. The findings reveal that migration is not just an economic phenomenon but a deeply social one, which is fundamentally reshaping the class structure, social relations, and a-aspirations of rural society. The paper concludes that any understanding of contemporary rural Bangladesh must place the dynamics of international migration at its very center.