This book offers a fresh perspective on gender debates in Nepal and analyses how the international migration of the first generation of professional female Nepali nurses has been a catalyst for social change.

With unprecedented access to study participants in Nepal (the source country), following them and their networks in the UK (the destination country), this ethnographic study explores Nepali nurses’ migration journeys, relocation experiences, and their international migration ‘dreams’ and aspirations. It illustrates how migrant nurses strive to manage social and professional difficulties as they work towards achieving their ultimate migration aims. The book shows that nursing shortages and international nurse migration are issues of gender, on a global scale, and that the current trend of privatisation in health systems makes the labour market vulnerable, and stimulates international migration of health professionals. Arguing that international nurse migration is an integral part of the globalisation of health, the author highlights key policy strategies that are useful for global nursing and health workforce management.

A well-informed and much-needed study of nurse migration in the global healthcare market, this book will be of interest to professionals and academics working in nursing studies, health and social care studies, gender and international migration studies, and global health studies, as well as South Asian studies.