Globalization and women in Southern Thai small-scale fishing villages
Jawanit Kittitornkool, F. of Environmental Management, PSU.
E-mail : kjawanit@ratree.psu.ac.th
Presented : the Globalisation, Gender Relations in Fisheries Workshop, May 6 - 12, 2000, Memorial University, St.Johns, New Foundland, Canada.
Key words : southern women, small-scale fishing, globalization
In spite of the persistence of traditional perceptions of women as "the hind legs of the elephant" led by their husbands, who are the front legs, Thai women have been the actual "driving forces" of
the families and Thai society due to their predominant contribution to both production and repro-duction work for centuries. The impacts of globalization on the underprivileged Thais are negative
in many aspects. Meanwhile, the emergence of alternative development approaches and social
forces, as well as the promotion of womenÕs development programmes and projects, has been influenced by the international factors. The significance of womenÕs involvement in development projects and collective actions has been increasingly recognised.
The Southern small-scale fishing communities have been integrated into the globalized market economy with limited capital and bargaining power. Consequently, they become vulnerable losers when the seas are exploited at the highest rate by modernised fishing technologies owned by
medium- and large-scale fishery businesses. However, like other disadvantaged social groups in
Thai society, small-scale fisherfolks have gradually organised themselves to protect their rights
for livelihoods with support from NGOs. Gender ideologies of womenÕs housework responsibilities and women's social identities as mothers and daughters remain predominant, and have been re-produced by different social mechanisms. Consequently, womenÕ active involvement in the
campaigns and protests is related to their concerns about the livelihoods of their families and communities. Nevertheless, their participation remains constrained by the prevalent gender in-equities, which necessitate long-term actions for alterations. To an extent, the life story of Miya, a woman leader in small-scale fisherfolk organization, reflects the situations of gender relations and
the impacts of globalization on Southern small-scale fishing villages.
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