Gulf Bounty Is Drying Up in Southern India

February 24, 2003 9:11 PM

Gulf Bounty Is Drying Up in Southern India For three decades, Indians have helped build and serve countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait — reflecting a world where, for many families, making ends meet means living apart. Gulf rulers, wanting to counter what they saw as a demographic overload by Indians, [have] made them less welcome. (New York Times login req)
posted by turbanhead (3 comments total)

reads like a latter day good earth in some respects.
posted by donkeyschlong at 9:52 PM on February 24, 2003

India's got a serious brain drain problem. It's no wonder kids are so competitive in school and college, so that they can get a decent job in the country, rather than look outside the country.
posted by riffola at 10:04 PM on February 24, 2003

It's interesting how the article briefly touches on tradeoffs - you get the feeling the reporter came into the article thinking "man, those women are gonna feel liberated now that their men are off doing their own thing." But the opposite appears to be true. In being more commercialized and valueing things instead of people, India's family structure has started to break down.

Perhaps the work shortage in the gulf has as many good things as bad.
posted by Happydaz at 11:25 PM on February 24, 2003