Men's labor migration and attitudes towards women's sexual autonomy: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey 2019-21

Background Male labour migration results in prolonged spousal separation and shifts in household decision-making structures. In many low- and middle-income settings, the temporary or long-term migration of men creates shifts in household responsibilities, decision-making power, and the regulation of sexual and reproductive behaviour within families. Migration not only affects economic conditions but also transforms household power relations, gender roles, and attitudes toward women’s autonomy. Sexual autonomy, which refers to a person's capacity to negotiate safer sexual practices. Data & Methods The present study utilises data from NFHS-5. We used a total of 101,839 samples in which 19241 samples has been deleted as they were not working. There are women aged 15–49 and men aged 15–54. Considering that he is working and has been away from home for more than one month, he must be a migrant in India. So, this study excludes non-working respondents to reduce error in the migrant sample. In our study, we used a binary logistic regression model to examine the association between dependent and explanatory variables Results The results show how migration is linked to men's gender perceptions and significant sociodemographic variations in migration trends. This study revealed that approximately 15.3% of men were temporary migrants, including 8.9% short-term migrants and 6.4% long-term migrants, indicating that temporary migration remains a significant livelihood strategy among men in India. In the unadjusted model, I show that men who were migrants (both STM and LTM) and who used substances were significantly more likely to have a negative attitude towards sexual autonomy. Logistic estimates (Model II) further show that men belonging to the middle-aged group (45–54 years), scheduled castes, and having higher education were significantly associated with lower odds of a negative attitude. Conclusion This research shows that men's perceptions of women's sexual autonomy in India are significantly influenced by their immigration status. The findings show that both temporary and permanent migrants are more likely to have positive attitudes than non-migrants. In order to encourage gender-equitable views among women, the study emphasizes the necessity of focused interventions that address behavioural and social issues.