Marriage migration: A case study of Niğde

This study aims to understand the migration experiences of women who have migrated to Niğde through marriage and to explore the changes in daily life and household work after marriage. The forms of solidarity among married women and those separated from their spouses are explained. The study reveals that marriage migration can occur from rural to urban or from one city to another. To achieve this, the push and pull factors of the town were identified. The research is determined as a qualitative study, and the narrative approach, one of the qualitative research techniques, was utilized. The collected data were analyzed thematically. The study conducted in-depth interviews with 20 women, including 13 married, four divorced, two widowed, and one living separately from her spouse. Thirteen of these women migrated from rural to urban areas, while seven migrated from one city to another through marriage. Participants were asked questions about the migration process, changes in social life after migration, household work, and forms of solidarity. As a result of the findings, it was understood that the migration from rural areas to the city of Niğde had attractive factors, while rural life had push factors. The most significant factor was women working in household chores and farm tasks in rural life. In contrast, it was observed that men mostly decided on the migration destination through marriage. At the same time, women could play a role in determining the migration destination by working in a job where they could already earn an income. Divorced women, on the other hand, were found to face economic poverty, especially during the divorce process. Still, despite this, they could not return to their previous residence due to the attractive factors of the city.