Large numbers of Sri Lankan women have migrated to become domestic workers in western Asian countries. Economic factors have created this trend, even though the social norms strongly discourage migration of women. The economic outcome of female migration may not be as expected. The working conditions in Arab countries include long working hours and low pay. Many return because of these conditions. The Sri Lankan government during the 1980s established a Bureau of foreign Employment, but the size of labor migration and the conditions of domestic employment are different to their protection. Adjustment for women migrants in Western Asia is further exacerbated by their status as foreigners with few rights, the general second class status of women in oil-rich countries, their lack of familiarity with Muslim culture, and their lower socio-economic class status in the host country. Migration is estimated to have increased from about 40-50,000 to around 200,000 during the 1980s, of whom 51 were women. Almost all female migrants were domestics among returning migrants in 1986. A migration survey was conducted among a random sample of 899 returning migrants. 858 close relatives of current migrants and 4909 no migrants. Anthropological methods were used to collect data from the towns of Colombo and Matale and two villages in Southern Sri Lanka. About 70 of return migrants were women. Despite economic slowdowns in oil-rich countries domestics are still in demand, recruitment fees charged to domestic workers are lower r than for other types of workers. Close family members reported the receipt of remittances every month or every other month of the full salary of female domestic workers. 84.5 of returning migrants considered migration beneficial to lone term improvements in family welfare, but 74.9 also felt that the economic outcome of migration was disappointing. Other outcomes of return migration include greater martial disruption and lack of proper supervision of young children.