ASSESSING OF CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF WOMEN MIGRATION FROM HALABA ZONE OF CENTRAL ETHIOPIA REGIONAL STATE TO THE MIDDLE EAST

Abstract

This study was about the women labor migration from Halaba Zone of CERS to the Middle East. It assessed the causes and consequences of women migration from Halaba Zone to the Middle East. It looked at the various motivations that brought a migrant woman in to decisions of migration to the Middle East. The thesis also targeted to consider into the discrepancies between the expectations of the domestic workers and the reality that they faced in the country of destinations. In this study, quite a number of theories were used to explain the factors and features of migration augmented with the primary data outcomes. The study fully employed qualitative methods of research by taking snowball and expert sampling methods to obtain the research participants. Regarding the research instruments, the researcher employed semi-structured in-depth interview tool to collect data. Likewise, six case studies were narratively presented for discussion in the fourth chapter. The thesis was also produced based on the production of knowledge from the interviewees and the researcher through semi-structured in-depth interviews, case study and focus group discussion supported by secondary data. In its outcome, the study revealed that the migrants from Halaba Zone both that are planning and returnees were not satisfied with their individual or household income. For which reason, economic demands were found to be the basic pushing factors for their decisions; whereas destination countries’ open gates and demands besides enhanced payment in the destination was the major pulling factor. The overall backgrounds of the migrants together with external promoters were also found to constitute the motivations for migration. On the other hand, the expectations of the returnee migrants before their departure from the study site and the realities that they faced in the country of destination were also found to be quite unlike. Besides, language and cultural barriers were depicted as hurdle as incapacitating the interactions of the migrant women with their employers. Of which outcome, most of the domestic workers experienced maladjustment, hitch, and inconveniences. To address women labor migration from Halaba Zone to the Middle East, the study recommends establishing reliable channels for information sharing, conducting awareness campaigns, providing financial support and business skills training, empowering women with destination-specific skills and cultural knowledge, promoting understanding of social norms and language in destination countries, and advocating for bilateral agreements to protect migrant worker rights.