Gender and ‘Care Work’ in Thai-Western Families Settled in Northeast Thailand
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Abstract
This article applies the notions of gender and care to analyze the relationships between gender and care work allocation in Thai Western families living in Northeast Thailand. It is based on in-depth interviews of 13 Thai-Western couples, as well as five Thai wives and one English man whose relationship with his Thai wife ended. All informants have resided in villages in Udon Thani and Khon Kaen provinces for between three and 35 years, the majority 10-20 years. The findings reveal that care work allocation and gender are related in various ways, and that Western/Thai cultures, class, and race also shape the way in which domestic tasks are allocated in these relationships. In addition to intimate relationships, all women have performed caretaker roles to serve their husbands. Yet, some women perceive care work as a space of ‘negotiation and arrangement’ in which husbands should also take part. Others view care work as ‘women’s authority,’ empowering them to influence the husband’s work, apart from getting the men to do certain domestic tasks. The findings allow us to argue that a family/ household is an important unit for gender analysis. Drawing on different types of families, this study uncovers the diverse patterns of gender in relation to care allocation that elaborate the gender stereotype of male breadwinner and female-caretaker pattern that have been considered to be pertinent to transnational unions.
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Interviews
Earl. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 21). Interview. An American man, living in Udon Thani province.
Jum. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 21). Interview. Thai woman, Udon Thani province.
Kai. (Pseudonym). (2021, December 16). Interview. Thai woman, settling in Germany, but returning to stay in Udon Thani province 2-3 months every year.
Kevin. (Pseudonym). (2021, December 16). Interview. An American man, living in Udon Thani province.
Laddawan. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 17). Interview. Thai woman, Khon Kaen province.
Macro. (Pseudonym). England, (2022, January 30). Interview. An English man living in Udon Thani province.
Mark. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 6). Interview. An American man living in Khon Kaen province.
Mario. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 21). Interview. A Swiss man living in Udon Thani province.
Nok. (Pseudonym). (2022, January 30). Interview. Thai woman, Udon Thani province.
Pha. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 21). Interview. Thai woman, Udon Thani province.
Poo. (Pseudonym). (2021, December 16). Interview. Thai woman, Udon Thani province. Rommanee. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 6). Interview. Thai woman, Khon Kaen province.
Spencer. (Pseudonym). (2021, December 16). Interview. A German man settling in Germany, but returning to stay in Udon Thani province 2-3 months every year.
Will. (Pseudonym). (2021, November 17). Interview. A German man living in Khon Kaen province.