Women Migrants and their Mental Health: A Study of Working Women Hostellers in Mumbai

Mental health is an important component of the total positive health and is interwoven closelywith the physical and physiological dynamics of the human body. Migrant population, being a non-native population, is vulnerable and is exposed to mental health problems. The situation may be worse among female migrants in urban areas who migrate for work related reasons. Hence it is essential to give special attention to the mental health status of women migrants who live in urban areas. The present paper, based on primary data collected from women migrants in working women’s hostels of Mumbai, aims to understand the working and living conditions and its association with mental health status of the women migrants in Mumbai. The analysis indicates that the quality of life of women migrants has a significant effect on their mental health status. The factors such as age, occupation, push factors related to migration, quality of life and general health status of the migrant women can affect their mental health status. Thus, it is essential to ensure better working and living conditions and quality of life in order to improve the mental health status of women migrants.