The impact of migration on the marital relations and personal development: with reference five villages in Walallawita Regional Secretary Division, Matugama

Abstract

The family is the smallest unit in the society and it faces a large number of problems. In the current social set up, one of the major problems that a family encounters is finance. In finding solutions to financial problems, many poor householders resort to foreign employment. According to sociological findings, foreign migration creates many adverse sociological and psychological consequences. In this study, the researcher tried to find out the impact of migration on the marital relations. Miriswatta, Pahala Hewessa, Lihiniyawa, Kumbadoowa and Pelawatta in Walallawita were selected as the study location as there were many migrant workers in the area.Fifty samples were selected. The reports of Divisional Secretary Office and Grama Niladhari officers helped in selecting this sample. Forty husbands who have migrant wives and ten wives who have migrant husbands were included. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Out of the total sample, 64% migrant workers work in Middle East countries while the remaining 36% in other countries like Korea, Singapore and Maldives. Saudi Arabia was selected by most of female migrant workers. It is more than 75%. 92% migrant workers are working as housemaids. Most of them are female. Remigration can be identified in this selected sample. 72% migrant workers have migrated more than once. A large number of problems can be identified in these families. The major target of these migrant workers is to build a new house. But 90% migrant workers could not reach it. Many husbands were addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. Alcohol was used by 80% husbands daily. 60% of men and women who migrated did not approve this. They were in the view that the migration is not the best way to earn money. 76% percents of parents (who have migrant father or mother) have faced a lot of problems with their children. Many fathers have faced diffulties in feeding, protecting and solving problems of their children. According to the ideas of the sample, children who have migrant parents in the Middle East may have less personality than other children. 64% agreement can be identified from the sample about the negative personal development of children because of their parental migration. There could be more than 75% agreement by the sample about the high possibility of family problems because of migration. Both set of analyzed data reveal that the migration for foreign employment has directly affected not only the marital relations, but also their children’s personal development.