Marriage and Migrant Workers - Tajikistan

Asia Insight – Season 8

Domestic happiness in Tajikistan, Central Asia, once meant an arranged marriage and children. But in recent years, the custom is on the decline. One key factor is the massive rise in migrant workers, forced to move away to Russia because their own country has no industry. 40% of working-age Tajiks now work abroad. This makes it difficult for men to find a bride, and many wives end up abandoned when their husbands return alone to their jobs and lives abroad. Explore how marriage and labor are changing in Tajikistan.