Low-income workers in Thailand are earning less and having to work longer hours; many face increasing debt and there is growing disparity between the poor and the rich, according to the latest International Labour Organization (ILO) report released in Thai on 8 March.
The study: Reconciling work and family: Issues and policies in Thailand examines the changes and trends in the balance between work and family. Based on secondary data and interviews with key informants conducted during August-October 2005, it highlights the key work-family issues and policies and practices in Thailand.
The study finds that changes in the labour market have put more strain on the working poor who do not earn a living wage. The workers are working long hours, often earn less than the minimum wage and, especially women are at the same time expected to do all the house work and look after the family. Grandparents are often called upon to take care of grandchildren, frequently without any financial support. There is also little support (state and non-state) for child care and elderly care.
The report concludes that the work-family balance is a problem in Thailand for many low-income families. The main problem, however, is that it is not perceived as such. So individuals struggle on their own to find solutions without any societal or government support.
Some recommendations the report suggests to improve the balance between work and family include: ratification of the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156) and the Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183); improvement of child care services accessibility and standards; provision of child allowances regardless of employment and directly to the care provider; reduction of working hours and provision of a living wage as minimum wage; increase of leave entitlements; promoting the sharing of household work between women and men; improving data collection and statistics on family and work; and raising public awareness on how to create a better work-family balance.
Dr. Kyoko Kusakabe, the researcher and author of the book emphasizes that there is an urgent need to raise awareness of the problems families are facing: “Work-family conflicts exists and there is a need for support measures to better balance work and family life. Not only mothers but fathers are responsible as well. Furthermore it is not an individual problem but a collective one where the society and government must be involved.”
Ms. Nelien Haspels, ILO Senior Specialist in Gender and Women Workers’ Issues confirms that “the time-money squeeze between family care responsibilities and the demands of work continues to be a challenge worldwide.” ILO Convention 156 offers clear solutions. Parents need reasonable working hours and a living wage, they need leave time that allows them to see their children and care for sick dependents without jeopardizing their employment, and they need childcare facilities and services. These are the basic policies and services for supporting families to have a decent living and care for their families.
For a full report in Thai:
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/pdf/14cws.pdf
English: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/publ/14cwe.htm
NB. The ILO is also issuing a new study entitled: “Global Employment Trends for Women, Brief 2007”. The study provides a concise overview of the state of women in labour markets worldwide, including new data on the number of women who are in work, the number who are unemployed and what it calls the “feminization of working poverty”. The study also analyzes the evolution of female participation in labour markets over the past decade. See www.ilo.org/trends
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