Migration and Social Stress

Abstract

The social stresses experienced by Pakistani migrants in Britain derive from three main ‘arenas’; the traditional culture and emigration area; the migration process; and settlement in the new environment and society. The stresses experienced by ethnic minorities are not due to migration alone. The migration process itself is determined by features in the emigration area, the structure of the host society and the connections between the two. After a general introduction into the Pakistani population in Bradford this paper¹ outlines areas of stress in the emigration area and the traditional culture. It then considers the types of stress which are produced by the migration process and the process of settling into a new environment.