Life in the post-return period: evidence from migrant women returnees in Wourgessa town, Ethiopia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the post-return life experiences of Ethiopian migrant women returnees from domestic work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The returnees live in Wourgessa town located in Habru district, North Wollo zone of Amhara National Regional State. Labor migration abroad from the town has been ingrained in the socio-economic life of the local people in which regular and irregular migration has become the norm with the culture of migration developed over the years. The paper draws on the social constructivist research paradigm, which explains reality as a social construct. Employing a qualitative research method with in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions used as methods of the primary data collection, the article explores the post-return lived experiences of the returnee women. It analyzes the returnees’ socio-economic reintegration, experience with polygamous marriages, household relations and decision-making, and the local community perspectives on the reintegration of migrant returnees.