Mobility of care: gendered migration and care inequalities among Nepali care workers in the UK

This research explores the intersections of gender and care roles in the process of migrating from Nepal to the UK. It shows the relationship between migration regimes on gendered intergenerational care arrangements maintained by migrant care workers. It furthermore shows how Nepalese women with skills in demand in the global North, such as nurses and care workers, negotiate their migration decision within their families and the impact migration can have on traditional gender roles. Overarching research questions underpinning this thesis are: ‘What are the drivers of informal intergenerational care among migrant families and how do they meet care responsibilities within the family?’; ‘What influences migration processes?’ and ‘What extent does migration alter traditional gender roles?’. The study uses empirical evidence generated through in-depth semi-structured interviews with care workers in the UK and family members in Nepal. The findings are presented in three chapters as journal papers. The first journal paper (Chapter 4) explores the significance of multi-generational care across borders. It shows the reciprocal nature of care within extended families and highlights the importance of drawing a distinction between families in understanding how migration policies can create care inequalities. It also shows that intergenerational care continues despite the hurdles presented by restrictive migration policies, albeit in compromised forms and with additional strain. The second journal paper (Chapter 5) illustrates that women’s increased competencies, alongside the international demand for their skills, can influence migration decision-making. Hence, traditional gender role expectations, including care responsibilities, may become weaker as other factors emerge stronger. The third journal paper (Chapter 6) indicates that the intersections of masculinities and femininities, together with contextual social factors and transnational connections, influence gender roles among migrant couples. The contributions of this research take place at the levels of theory, method, and empirical findings.