Population mobility and migrant-village ties : a case study of two villages in East Java

Abstract

For rural people in Java, population mobility, particularly temporary movement, is usually seen as a compromise between the high living costs and marginal wages in the destination places and the psychological trauma of separation from family and friends in the home village. This thesis investigates these aspects of population mobility in East Java, and in particular migrant-village tie s . The data used are from the National Population Mobility Survey, conducted in eight provinces in Indonesia in 1980. Two villages were studied in East Java, and the analyses here are based mainly on information from 153 migrants who were visiting their home village at the time of the survey. The study found that the main reasons for migrants to leave their home village were economic, while familial and socio-cultural motives were stated as the main reasons for choosing the destination place. The presence of kin and friends in the destination place can serve as a source of information and increase the probability of getting a job, and therefore the location of relatives or friends can affect the migrants' choice of destination place. The migrants reported that their incomes were higher after they moved. Migrants who had surplus cash were more likely to spend i t on modern goods and education of their families, while poorer migrants used their incomes to supplement basic consumption. Chain migration was extensive among migrants, particularly those who moved within Java. Assistance from kin and friends in the process of moving was high. newer latter Migrants often provided housing, food and skill training to migrants, which temporarily reduced the living costs of the and made their adjustments to the new way of life easier.