Alleviating Loneliness Among Female Migrant Garment Workers in India

Migration is central to economic opportunity for many of the world's poor, allowing individuals to build skill, increase their incomes, and help their families via remittances. Given large urban-rural wage differences, relatively low rates of migration and short migration stays are a long-standing puzzle. This gap is particularly acute among young women, who face particularly limited economic opportunities in their home villages. In this RCT we will rigorously explore a potentially important but understudied factor in such migration decisions: loneliness. Young female workers are likely to face particularly high social costs to migration, often moving from a closely knit rural community to an urban center at a time of life when social connection is paramount, while facing mobility restrictions that limit friendship formation. Our program seeks to develop workplace arrangements that foster friendships and enhance problem solving skills, helping these young women to succeed in formal urban work environments.