UCLA

Labor migration is a massive global reality, and its effects on the well-being of nonmigrating household members vary considerably. However, much existing research is limited to cross-sectional or short-term assessments of these effects. This study uses unique longitudinal panel data collected over 12 years in rural Mozambique to examine long-term connections of womens exposure to husbands labor migration with womens material security, their perception of their households relative economic standing in the community, their overall life satisfaction, and their expectations of future improvements in household conditions. To capture the cumulative quality of such exposure, we use two approaches: one based on migrant remittances (objective) and the other based on womans own assessment of migrations impact on the household (subjective). The multivariable analyses detect a significant positive association between objective migration quality and household assets, regardless of womens current marital status and other characteristics. However, net of household assets, objective quality shows a positive association with life satisfaction, but not with perceived relative standing of the household or future expectations. In comparison, subjective quality is positively associated with all the outcomes even after controlling for other characteristics. These findings illustrate the gendered complexities of long-term migration impact on nonmigrants well-being.