Shashi Tharoor flags 'disturbing' World Bank report claiming Saudi returnees in Kerala more conservative on gender violence

Introduction

A World Bank study on how migration influences gender norms in Kerala has drawn a sharp response from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who called its findings "disturbing" and urged serious introspection within the Muslim community. The study, titled 'Beyond Money: Does Migration Experience Transfer Gender Norms? Empirical Evidence from Kerala, India,' found that migrants returning to Kerala from Saudi Arabia hold significantly more conservative attitudes towards gender-based violence than those without migration experience.

The Study's Findings

The research, published as a World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, compared 256 return migrants from Saudi Arabia, 322 from other Gulf countries, and 8,614 non-migrants, using data from the 2013 Kerala Migration Survey. The study assessed attitudes towards women's employment, household decision-making, gender roles, and gender-based violence.

Its most significant finding was that Saudi returnees displayed attitudes towards gender-based violence that were three standard deviations more conservative than non-migrants. On "extreme" gender attitudes, including those related to sexual assault, they were 2.6 standard deviations more conservative.

Specific statistics illustrate the divide: about 43% of Saudi returnees believed a man had the right to beat his wife if she disobeyed him, compared with around 37% of returnees from other Gulf countries. Nearly half of Saudi returnees said a woman who was raped had usually done something careless, versus 42.5% among other Gulf returnees. Around 68% believed a woman who had been sexually assaulted would lose respect in the community, compared with 59.6% for other Gulf returnees. A separate figure reported by Moneycontrol indicated nearly 70% of Saudi returnees agreed that women's "immodest dressing" provokes men to behave badly.

In contrast, returnees from other Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE) were not significantly different from non-migrants on gender-based violence and extreme attitudes; in some areas, they were relatively more open-minded on women's employment. The study suggests migration does not produce a uniform social effect.

The researchers describe these transferred ideas as "social remittances," arguing that while discussion has focused on economic benefits, social effects deserve attention. They caution that the findings establish an association, not causation.

Tharoor's Reaction

Tharoor responded to a social-media post highlighting the study and shared his remarks on X. He warned about the influence of conservative social attitudes acquired overseas, stating that Kerala had long been home to a "liberal, progressive practice of Islam" fully in tune with the coexistence and communal harmony prevalent across the state. He also pointed to Kerala's record of educating Muslim girls and women to the same levels as boys and men.

"The import of conservative and even reactionary attitudes and customs from abroad, as suggested by this report, is fundamentally at variance with what Kerala has long been about," he said, calling for "serious introspection and internal discussion within the Muslim community."

Co-author's Response

Irudaya Rajan, Chair of the International Institute for Migration and Development and one of the paper's co-authors, argued that the discourse, while relevant, is misplaced in its emphasis on Gulf nations. He pointed to Kerala's poor female labour force participation as a reflection of the social standing of women, saying the state's culture has not evolved beyond the literacy metric.

"Both positive and negative social influences are imported through migration. The reason why negative influences take root is that Kerala already has fertile soil for it," Rajan said, as quoted by Malayala Manorama. "Kerala women are empowered while their husbands are working abroad, but disempowered when they return. If there was absolute empowerment, it would not shift circumstantially."

He also cited Kerala's negative social climate as a reason why youth seek to settle outside the state, and compared the marginal difference between Kerala and imported conservative ideas: "It's like saying that we stole, but they stole a rupee more."

Perspectives

• Shashi Tharoor (Congress MP): Views the study as evidence of harmful conservative attitudes imported from abroad, fundamentally at odds with Kerala's liberal and progressive traditions. Calls for introspection within the Muslim community.
• Irudaya Rajan (Study co-author): Argues the focus on Gulf influence is misplaced; Kerala's own social conditions, including poor female labour force participation, provide fertile ground for negative influences to take root.