Gender and domestic violence : a study of migrant women in Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Author | Chusana K. Han |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.GD-08-01 |
| Subject(s) | Family violence--Thailand--Bangkok Violence in women--Thailand--Bangkok Women migrant labor--Thailand--Bangkok |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. GD-08-01 |
| Abstract | Female rural-urban migration has significantly cont ributed to the economic growth of Thailand in the last three decades, particularly in industry and tourism. What is less known, however, is how migrant women navigate their lives in the city and, in particular, their experience of violent relationships from whic h they attempt to free themselves. In this study domestic violence is highlighted in the parti cular context of rural-urban female migration. The process of migration to the city ser ves as the framework, within which issues of cultural construction of gender, labor ma rket conditions in the city, male domination and gender identity all intertwine. On t he basis of in-depth interviews with 38 migrant women and focus group discussions with ten of these in two Bangkok shelters, this study found the migrant women exposed to broad form s of gender inequality such as those in between class, labor status and cultural norms. The women’s departure from the village homes is de rived from the cultural obligation as a daughter to remit earning back home , the aspiration for modernity and the desire to be independent from parental control. Ho wever, with low education and vocational skills, they mostly worked in the servic es and entertainment for tourism sectors. Some of them even had to opt for jobs as sexual wor kers to earn enough income for money remittances home. Most women cohabited with men the y met in the city. The conditions of low wage, unstable income, and unwanted pregnancy h ad made the features of male control become more evident. Some pregnant women an d mothers of dependent children had to stop working, lost their income, were forced for abortion and abandoned by their partners. They frequently could not solicit help fr om their village home because the weakening of remittance and their contesting the pa rental control by cohabitation led to increasing strain and conflict between the women an d the village kin. These socioeconomic constraints have made migrant women m ore vulnerable to repeated violence and difficult to free themselves from abus ive relationships. This study argues that such action runs contrary to earlier notions of women as passive victims. They sought help, attempted to ear n more to reduce their risks of injury, avoided conflict and physically fought back. Howeve r, the reluctance of their social networks led women identify themselves with sense o f low self-esteem. The departure from rural homes thus re-constituted their sense of self as women living in the metropolis vis-à-vis those left behind and others who live in the city, evaluating themselves in light of their class, employment and social status, as well as affecting their capacities to free themselves from violent relationships. Women’s cons traints in freeing themselves from violence therefore cannot be solely attributed to t he cultural system of male domination. Gender inequality alone cannot explain the response of women to domestic violence since it intersects with other systems of power and strat ification. This “inter-sectionality” shapes the nature of women’s response to domestic violence , how it is experienced and whether escape and safety are indeed possible for them. Con sequently, public services are suggested not to devote efforts to ascertain whethe r women have been able to abandon violent relationships, but to analyze the ways with which the women are vulnerable to domestic violence and actually trying to get help f rom others. The migrant women’s social networks such as kin in homes of origin, employers, co-workers, friends and legal representatives can provide us with clues which to realize the gendered and cultural constraints they experiences. |
| Year | 2008 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. GD-08-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Gender and Development Studies (GD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Resurreccion, Bernadette; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Kusakabe, Kyoko ;Zimmermann, Willi ;Osawa, Mari; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program(JJ/WBGSP); |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2008 |