How do mothers’ social ties affect childcare: findings from a Social Network Analysis study in the Indian Sundarbans
Future Health Systems
This brief is based on a recent Future Health Systems study conducted in the Indian Sundarbans, a region in the eastern part of India, where a large number of male workers have migrated out from its climatically challenged islands for alternative livelihoods, leaving their wives and children behind.
Does this mass migration of the husbands have any impact on the way their wives use their social contacts or ties while seeking care for their children? How different is this nature of dependence on the social support system compared to those whose husbands have not migrated? This brief attempts to address these questions by applying Social Network Analysis, an innovative tool to explore the connections, nature of supports and strength of ties between various members of a community.