In a society where cultural mores have enhanced male superiority, the absence of the father, husband, or son has a devastating impact. In the small city of Msaken in Tunisia, the main export over the years has been male labor. Makeshift family arrangements are then made, with uncles or brothers-in-law providing male supervision for families affected. Women left behind may seek help for a wide range of neuroses caused by this absenteeism. Male family members' absence contributes insidiously, but inevitably, to a change in local values. Remaining women and children are looked upon as emigrant families, or if they also move abroad, as immigrant families, all of which leads to identity crises. The brutal collision of 2 antithetical cultural systems creates psychotic confusion. A return to the homeland, when abroad, does not guarantee a return to the status quo. Over time, this evolution should develop cultural enrichment.