Navigating uncertainty: reintegration experiences of Bangladeshi women migrants returning from gulf countries during COVID-19

This article aims to examine the situation of low-skilled and temporary female migrants, with particular focus on Bangladeshi workers who were forcibly repatriated from the Gulf countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the recruitment process, remittance patterns, and precariousness of Bangladeshi and other South Asian migrants in the Gulf States have received considerable attention from social scientists, this paper explores how the most vulnerable group of migrants- female workers involved in domestic and cleaning services- have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the most significant migration-changing event of our generation. This paper is based on semi-structured interviews conducted in Bangladesh with female migrant workers who returned from the Gulf countries due to forced repatriation during COVID-19. The research shows that, due to COVID-19-induced repatriation, female migrant workers face economic hardships as well as social challenges during the process of reintegration in Bangladesh. The study also contends that involuntary return increases the stress and difficulties faced by female migrants regarding their economic situation and reintegration. From this, the author recommends further research into the long-term impacts of female migration, particularly among older female migrants who are unable to work, cannot save money from migration, and consequently fall into poverty.