United News of India
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, February 14, 2004: While some 1.38 million people working in the Gulf region, mostly men, have made Kerala prosperous, it has also spawned a piquant problem of the “Gulf wives” — women who have been left behind to often single-handedly shoulder family responsibilities. Studies on the impact of Gulf migration show that the common complaints are mild depression, psychosomatic disorders, loneliness and an increase in responsibilities. However, the same study points out that the status of the Gulf wives has increased by the increased control they have over the money that flows into the household.