Migration and Its Social Consequences: Analyzing the Rural-Urban Divide in India and Its Impact on Family Structures, Economic Opportunities, and Social Integration

• Author(s): Dr. Mahadev F Wadekar
• Paper ID: 1707725
• Page: 1594-1605
• Published Date: 10-07-2025
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 8 Issue 10 April-2025

Abstract

The rural-urban migration phenomenon in India has as population movements are a very significant socio-economic trend a movement of over 450 million people-as of 2021 about 30 percentage of a total population of India-have successfully moved to urbanized areas in the whole of India there is a projection that this number is gently expected to strengthen until 2031 another reason for the growth of metropolitan settlements at the location of rural settlements is to attain better. opportunities of employment better educational needs, and living standards in the cities even in spite of this, in most cases this migration outcome to several social repercussions integrating economic and a social character not just an economic character talk about the changing family structures formation of economic opportunity the function and the nature of social cohesion in the new arising metropolitan settlements. Because most migrants come from agricultural-rural backgrounds, they find it difficult to adjust to urban lifestyles and their families also face socio-cultural challenges as the traditional gender roles change in urban settings, the growing urban role of women as well as their continuing role in rural families, and the disconnection between rural origin and urban destination changing intergeneration relationships. The disconnect between family and the absence of appropriate support systems in the big cities leads to the isolation of the migrant in their socio-cultural life and mental health, hampering their access to basic services (such as health and education) and putting some communities outside of the local insertion making other subgroups of cities more marginalized. Abstract: Economically, rural migrants play important economic roles in cities, especially in the informal sector, but they face harsh working conditions; they can hardly find a formal job and their earnings are low and unstable, and they lack social protection and formal labor rights. While such economic opportunities will create a better livelihood for many migrants, often they are stuck in low-wage, unskilled work and their socio-economic advancement is constrained by systemic and social barriers. The social integration is still a debatable topic as migrants still face discrimination regarding their native places, caste, and ethnicity and which discourages their assimilation into new urban communities, and finally their upGradation in the socio-economic layers. This paper conceptually analyses these issues and establishes the need for an understanding of the rural–urban divide in India and its social implications by reviewing the literature, theorizing the appropriate concepts and utilising secondary data to link empirical observations with implications for policies that must include the demons of societal challenges in the changing context of India where rupturing migration has made its way from the rural to the urban centres and has become a reality; the chains of rural Indian migration to urban space and what distance that the chains need to travel to ensure that migration works both for the individual and the society.

Keywords

Rural-Urban Migration, Family Structures, Economic Opportunities, Social Integration, Urbanization in India

Citations

IRE Journals:
Dr. Mahadev F Wadekar "Migration and Its Social Consequences: Analyzing the Rural-Urban Divide in India and Its Impact on Family Structures, Economic Opportunities, and Social Integration" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 8 Issue 10 2025 Page 1594-1605

IEEE:
Dr. Mahadev F Wadekar "Migration and Its Social Consequences: Analyzing the Rural-Urban Divide in India and Its Impact on Family Structures, Economic Opportunities, and Social Integration" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 8(10)