The paper explores long-term patterns of mobility from the colonial period to understand women’s migration today in the specific context of domestic work. In the colonial period, single women’s migration from village to city often resulted in their severance of links with the former. They lost access to rural resources, which were contingent upon familial role fulfillment. In recent years, with increase in migration of women domestic workers, new patterns have become discernible. These shifts and changes challenge the current understanding of gender in migration studies in South Asia.