CULTURAL REINTEGRATION AND GENDERED EXPECTATIONS: THE CHALLENGES OF ‘RETURNING HOME’

Abstract

Migration is considered gendered experience the world over. This journey is often marked by opportunity, exploration, and the pursuits of better livelihoods. However, the moment of return—especially for women—is no less significant or transformative. For many female migrants, returning home is not a return to familiarity and acceptance but an encounter with gendered expectations, cultural dissonance, and patriarchal control. We conducted this research with Mirpuri-Britishers in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Mirpur predominantly has considerable diaspora in Europe in general and England in particular.  We interviewed 12 women who returned to origin after spending many years in Europe. We identified and interviewed them at their respective places. We concluded that women’s return migration is far more than a logistical process; it is a deeply gendered and political negotiation. Reintegration unfolds within families and communities where expectations, surveillance, and moral policing seek to reassert patriarchal authority. For returnee women, this journey is not only about adapting to a changed lifestyle but also about confronting cultural scripts that shape their roles, rights, and respect.