MONEY ACROSS BORDERS, POWER WITHIN HOUSEHOLDS: GENDERED IMPACTS OF INDIAN DIASPORA REMITTANCES IN SOUTH ASIA

Abstract

This paper examines the gendered impacts of remittances originating from the Indian diaspora and broader South Asian migration flows between 2000 and 2025. Adopting the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and the SALSA framework, the study synthesizes a final corpus of 30 peer-reviewed documents to map the complex intersections between financial transfers, patriarchal structures, and women’s empowerment.

The findings demonstrate that remittances are not inherently empowering; their impact is highly conditional upon female financial control, household composition, and the temporal regularity of transfers. Evidence indicates that when women directly manage remitted funds, they experience enhanced decision-making authority and are more likely to prioritize human capital investments in children’s education and health. Conversely, the review identifies paradoxical outcomes, such as increased unpaid care burdens for left-behind women and "substitution effects" where improved migration prospects for males can lead to decreased educational attainment for their female siblings.

Methodologically, the field is evolving from descriptive correlations toward sophisticated causal inference and mixed-methods designs, although research remains geographically concentrated in high-visibility corridors like Kerala, Punjab, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, The study concludes by advocating for gender-responsive migration governance and policies that promote women’s direct financial inclusion, protect property rights, and address the structural inequalities that mediate the transformative potential of remittances.