Exploring gender Dimensions of human security : a case study of female subcontracted workers in Thailand | |
| Author | Sasaki, Shinobu |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.GD-16-01 |
| Subject(s) | Human security--Thailand Subcontracting--Thailand--Case studies Women--Employment--Thailand--Case studies |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment 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-16-01 |
| Abstract | This research explores the subjective perception of insecurities experienced by female subcontracted workers in industrial value chains and examines how they mitigate these insecurities in Thailand. While earlier literature on subcontracted workers’ vulnerabilities in Thailand discussed the issues from a political-economic perspective, this research uses the concept of human security, which enables us to better understand their (in-)securities as context-specific experiences in their daily lives. Through taking the revisited feminist standpoint epistemology and exercising reflexivity, I analysed the narratives from in-depth interviews with 24 female Thai subcontracted workers and 13 female migrant labourers in low-income communities in Bangkok, Thailand. Four male Thai subcontracted workers and four male migrant labourers were also interviewed to compare gender differences and intersections. Additionally, 14 key informant interviews were conducted with NGOs, community leaders, health volunteers, homeworkers’ children, migrant labourers’ employers and academicians. Thematically, I investigated their insecurity experiences in three categories, namely economic, working and living environmental and socio-political. There are three main findings. First, female subcontracted workers’ economic insecurities are gendered, because their sources of insecurities are largely rooted in their work and personal trajectories in the labour market, life events (e.g., pregnancy, child birth) as well as marriage and the consequent responsibilities as wife. Second, many of their health and care-related insecurities are fuelled by relational rather than individual experience; that is, they are worried they will not be able to provide care for their children, to fulfil their responsibility as mothers, or they are concerned with the effects of their hazardous work environment on their family members. Or they are concerned with future development of the current symptoms. Third, socio-political insecurity experiences show the issue of ‘invisibility’. A difficulty to form a group for the consequent empowerment shows that their insecurities are not exactly generated by a single threat, event or incident, but have been created over time through their own life experiences in relation to the institutions of family, value chain (middle-person), market and state. Furthermore, their sense of security is generally enhanced by using their immediate relational network such as employers and family members in the absence of formal protection, however such security provision is ad hoc and unguaranteed. Interestingly, their current sense of insecurity is partially offset by their context, i.e. the improved sense of security in comparison with their prior individual experiences. |
| Year | 2016 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. GD-16-01 |
| 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) | Kusakabe, Kyoko; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Doneys, Philippe ;Grünbühel, Clemens M. ;Doane, Donna ;Osawa, Mari ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) ;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2016 |