Multiple masculinities of labour migrants: how Bangladeshi migrant men rationalize gender norms in their home country.

Although there is growing scholarship on marginalised migrants and racialised masculinities, studies on how migrant masculinities influence gender norms in the origin countries remain limited. This article explores the formation of multiple masculinities among low-paid Bangladeshi labour migrants to the Middle-East and South-East Asia. I pay particular attention to how migration influences men’s attitudes towards gender norms in their home country. This ethnography reveals that Bangladeshi migrant men advocate for female ‘modesty’ and religious schooling for women in their native communities. Struggling to achieve hegemonic masculine power abroad, men uphold rigid masculinities back home often by relying on a patriarchal interpretation of Islam. Regardless of the diverse ways in which Islam is practiced in the host countries, migrant men returning from both the Middle East and South-East Asia exhibit similarly conservative views on gender norms. This article highlights the need for further research that examines how formation of multiple masculinities among migrant men may impact gender relations in their native communities