| Author | Ohnmar Ei Ei Chaw |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GD-01-11 |
| Subject(s) | Women employees--Myanmar
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. GD-01-11 |
| Abstract | Along with the industrial development in the urban areas after the adoption of Market
economy since 1988, rural-urban migration to newly established industrial zones has been
a new phenomenon in Myanmar. The investment for low technology and export-oriented
and labor intensive industries brings a large number of women into the labor market as
cheap and docile labor. This labor demand in urban industrial sector is the main pull factor
for rural women to migrant to the city.
This study focuses upon the changes brought about by industrial development to the
household power relations between parents and working daughters in the context of rural
daughters' employment in industrial zones, in Myanmar. In exploring the continuity and
changes among factory workers within the household power structure, qualitative method
was employed in this ethnographic research. The main respondents in research were those
who have migrated to two industrial zones, Hlaingtharyar and South Dagon, which are
situated at the outskirts of Yangon, the capital.
The effects of the factory employment are mediated by existing intergenerational relations,
kinship system and class status of household. Although intergenerational relations in the
household give more power to parents, flexible kinship system in Myanmar provides room
of maneuver for daughters to strengthen their bargaining power and decision making
power by being economically independent. Parents from poor households, by being
economically dependent on daughters' income and their weak position of fulfilling the
needs of their children result in the weak position to control their daughters.
However, the lack of control over workers' time and labor under the capitalist discipline
limits daughters' autonomous challenge of household power structure since the uncertainty
for their future results in conforming to traditional values to get acceptance from household
members and rural community.
Recommendations for the practical needs for factory workers and the poor families are
provided as support mechanism and recommendation for further research that will enhance
to examine the industrialization on rural community is also given. |
| Year | 2001 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. GD-01-11 |
| Type | Thesis |
| 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 P.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Earth, Barbara;Zimmermann, William; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | AIT (partial)
Cetana Educational Foundation, USA.; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2001 |