Understanding Education’s Influence on Migration of Women in South Asia by Disentangling Premarital and Marital Migration: A Case Study of Nepal

Inku Subedi, Brown University

This study addresses the contemporaneous nature of migration and marriage in the South Asian context. I use two samples and series of analyses to make a distinction within marital status based on the proximity to the actual month of marriage and also define premarital migration using a rich and complex Chitwan Valley Family Study in Nepal. Comparative analysis of the results from the full and never- married monthly registry suggest that the bigger effect of educational attainment is on women’s migration for marriage. This result implies that the criteria for a suitable wife might be changing among the younger generation in Nepal such that women with at least a secondary level education are considered better prospects for marriage as in other developing countries. At the same time, the non-existent effect of education on premarital migration of women might have social implications and requires further exploration.