How is migration a response to the uneven distribution of opportunities over a space?

Discuss the consequences of migration.

Migration represents the semi-permanent or permanent alteration of an individual’s location of residence. The major cause for male migration tends to be unemployment. People migrate for employment as well as work. In contrast, the major cause for female migration is marriage. Around 65 percent of females move out of their parental hoses after their marriages. Migration serves as the agent of social transition.

The fresh ideas connected with family planning, new technologies, female education, etc. get diffused from urban to rural regions via them. Migration results in intermixing of persons from various diverse cultures. It tends to widen up the mental horizon of persons at large.

Following are the consequences of migration:

(A) Economic:

A main benefit for source area is remittance that is sent by migrants. Remittances from international migrants are among the main sources of foreign exchange. The quantity of remittance set by internal migrants is very little in comparison to international migrants, but it serves a crucial role in the growth of economy of source area. Remittances are majorly employed for repayment of debts, marriages, food, agricultural inputs, children’s education, construction of houses, etc. Unregulated migration to metropolitan cities of India has resulted in overcrowding.

(B) Demographic Consequences:

Migration results in redistribution of population within a nation. Rural-urban migration is among the significant factors contributing to population growth of cities. Skill- and age-selective migration from rural regions have adverse influence on rural demographic structure forming serious imbalances in sex and age composition. Male population within working age groups migrate out of rural regions leaving old-aged people, females as well as children, which enhances the proportion of dependent population within rural regions. Urban regions receive heavy migration of the working age male population, resulting in a sex ratio that is highly unfavourable for women.

(C) Social Consequences:

Migrants act like agents of social transition. The fresh ideas connected with family planning, new technologies, girl’s education, etc. tend to get diffused from urban to rural regions via them. Migration results in intermixing of persons from diverse cultures. It exerts positive contribution like evolution of composite culture in addition to widening of mental horizon of persons at large. But it also possesses serious negative consequences like creation of social vacuum, anonymity as well as sense of dejection among persons. Sustained feeling of dejection result in people falling in traps of anti-social activities like drug abuse as well as crime. Furthermore, it may result in loss of identities among emigrants. Because of heavy male migration from rural regions, the situation becomes particularly tough for females as they have to be responsible for both economic as well as domestic work in villages, resulting in higher participation of females in agriculture with no decrement in their household workloads. Migration of females either for employment or education increases their autonomy as well as role in economy.

(D) Environmental Consequences:

Over-crowding of persons because of rural-urban migration has exerted pressure on the present physical as well as social infrastructure in urban regions. This eventually results in unplanned growth of urban settlement as well as creation of slums shanty colonies. Because of over-exploitation of natural resources, towns are facing acute issues of air pollution, depletion of ground water, management of solid wastes, and disposal of sewage.