Modernity for Young Rural Migrant Women Working in Garment Factories in Vientiane
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MODERNITY FOR YOUNG RURAL MIGRANT WOMEN WORKING IN GARMENT FACTORIES IN VIENTIANE ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝສ່ າ ລບັ ຍງິ ສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານຄ່ ອ ນ ຍາ້ ຍ ເຮັດວຽກໃນໂຮງງານ-ຕດັ ຫຍບິ ຢນ່ ະຄອນຫຼວງ ວຽງຈນັ Ms Rakounna SISALEUMSAK MASTER DEGREE NATIONAL UNIVERISTY OF LAOS 2012 MODERNITY FOR YOUNG RURAL MIGRANT WOMEN WORKING IN GARMENT FACTORIES IN VIENTIANE ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝສ່ າ ລບັ ຍງິ ສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານເຄ່ ອ ນ ຍາ້ ຍເຮັດວຽກໃນໂຮງງານ-ຕດັ ຫຍບິ ຢນ່ ະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈນັ A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE OFFICE IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER DEGREE IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STUDIES Rakounna SISALEUMSAK National University of Laos Advisor: Dr. Kabmanivanh PHOUXAY Chiang Mai University Advisor: Assistant Professor Dr. Pinkaew LAUNGARAMSRI © Copyright by National University of Laos 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been accomplished without valuable help and inputs from numerous people. First of all I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisors Dr. Kabmanivanh Phouxay and Assistant Professor Dr. Pinkaew Laungaramsri for their valuable support, critical comments and advice which has helped shaped my thesis. In addition I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, for the constant guidance and advice provided which has helped to deepen my understanding of the various concepts and development issues. I also wish to thank all the lecturers, professors and staff, from NUOL and CMU, for helping to increase my knowledge and widen my perspectives on development issues in Laos and in the region. My special thanks to Dr Seksin Srivattananukulkit for advising me to take this course and also to Dr Chaiwat Roongruangsee for his constant encouragement and words of wisdom which has helped motivate me to continue to write this thesis. I wish to thank John Dore, my special mentor from the start of the course until writing the thesis, for all his critical input/comments, useful advice and edits he has provided. I would also like to thank Mike Lally for his helpful edits and comments on the thesis. Special thanks also to David Fairhurst for his help and advice on how to structure my thesis and writing. Thank you also to Anna Polonyi for bringing to my attention the concept of Saduak Sabai and to Christina McMellon for editing this thesis. At work I am grateful for the support and understanding I have received from all my work colleagues. Thank you so much for putting up with my constant queries on development issues in Laos and also my various requests for leave which enabled me to successfully complete my assignments and thesis. My field study could not have accomplished without the help of my friend Boutsady who introduced me to her network of factory workers especially Sa and Kei and also made available her house and rice field as venue for the focus group discussions and interviews. I am deeply grateful to Sa and Kei, my key informants for making the focus group discussions and interviews happen. I would also like to thank all the NUOL i students who assisted me with the face to face interviews and of course all the young women from the various factories who participated in this survey. Lastly my coursework and thesis would not have been completed without my family’s support. I would like to especially thank my husband, Lakkeo Sirimanothai, and children, Souvanna and Sousada Sirmanothai. To my husband, thank you for your encouragement and support throughout my study so that I was able to put in the late nights and spend long hours completing my assignments and thesis. To my children thank you for your patience and understanding. I also would like to thank my mother, Khamsouk Sisaleumsak, for her constant stories about the French times helping me to understand more about that period and also to my sister, Southalak Sisaleumsak, for her valuable advice and assistance throughout my coursework and field study. ii ABSTRACT Previous studies of garment factories in Laos tend to portray rural women migrant workers as passive agents driven mainly by economic factors. This study aims to understand how modernity influences rural migrant women working in garment factories in Vientiane to become active agents, how they adapt the changes in their life and the mechanisms used to adapt to these changes. It also looks at how their life has changed in urban settings. There are three main objectives to this study: i) to understand the aspiration of young unmarried women migrants from rural areas, how they view modernity and how they define it; ii) to explore their modernity experiences, changes and effects on their lives; iii) to explore the implications of the aspiration of modernity on their life. The concept of modernity was used to explore the working conditions, living conditions and social relations of young women working in garment factories in an urban setting and to identify aspects of their agency and social mobility. Findings from a quantitative and qualitative survey in three garment factories in Vientiane show that modernity, in the perception of the young rural migrant women, are associated with consumption and kwarm saduak sabai, a set of values relating to ease, comfort and freedom. These aspects imply the practice and imagination of “urban modernity” by the young women. Within the urban settings the young women were able to practice modernity through consumption, thus enabling them to create a new self identity. At the same they also strove to obtain the kwarm saduak sabai that they imagined they would find through their work and social relations in the city. However the realities of the hard work, long hours, limited social relations and peer network restricted their possibility of social mobility thus making them realise that some of their aspirations were just illusions. iii ບດົ ຄດັ ຍ ້ ບດົ ຄນົ້ ຄວ້ າຜາ່ ນມາກຽ່ ວກບັ ໂຮງງານຕດັ ຫຍິບຢລາວ່ ສວ່ ນຫຼາຍແມນ່ ສະແດງໃຫເ້ ຫັນຍິງສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານເຄ່ ອ ນຍາ້ ຍໃນພາບທ່ ເປັນຝາ່ ຍຖກ ພກັ ດນັ ຈາກປດັ ໃຈທາງດາ້ ນເສດຖະກດິ . ເປົ້າໝາຍການ ສຶກສາຄງັ້ ນ ້ ແມນ່ ເພ່ ອຕອ້ ງການເຂົ້າໃຈວາ່ ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝມ່ ອ ິດທິຜນົ ແນວໃດຕ່ ຍິງສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານເຄ່ ອ ນຍາ້ ຍ ເຂົ້າມາເຮັດວຽກຢໂຮງງານ່ ຕດັ ຫຍິບໃນນະຄອນ ຫຼວງວຽງຈນັ ເຊ່ ງິ ເຮັດໃຫພວກ້ ເຂົາກາຍເປັນຜກ້ າ ນດົ ຊວ ດິ ຕວົ ເອງ, ສຶກສາການປບັ ຕວົ ຕ່ ການ ປ່ຽນແປງທ່ ເກດ ຂນຶ້ ແນວໃດ ແລະກນົ ໄກທ່ ເຂົາເຈາົ້ ນາ ໃຊ.້ ພອ້ ມດຽວກນັ ນນັ້ ກ່ໄ ດສ້ ຶກສາເບ່ ິງວາ່ ແບບແຜນດາ ລງົ ຊວ ດິ ຂອງພວກຍິງສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານເຄ່ ອ ນຍາ້ ຍເຫ່ ົຼານນັ້ ມກ ານປ່ຽນແປງ ແນວໃດພາຍຫຼງັ ທ່ ໄດມ້ າໃຊຊ້ ວ ດິ ຢໃ່ ນຕວົ ເມອ ງ. ບດົ ນພິ ນົ ນມ ້ ສາມ ວດັ ຖປຸ ະສງົ ຫຼກັ ຄ: (i) ເພ່ ອເຂົ້າໃຈເຖງິ ຄວາມໄຝຝ່ ນັ ເຖງິ ຄວາມເປັນສະ ໄໝໃໝຂ່ ອງຍິງສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານເຄ່ ອ ນຍາ້ ຍຈາກເຂດຊນົ ນະບດົ , ມມ ມອງກຽ່ ວກບັ ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝ ່ ແລະນຍິ າມກຽ່ ວກບັ ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝຂ່ ອງພວກເຂົາ (ii) ສຶກສາປະສບົ ການກຽ່ ວກບັ ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝ,່ ຄວາມປ່ຽນແປງທ່ ເກດ ຂນຶ້ ແລະສ່ ິງດງ່ັ ກາ່ ວມຜ ນົ ຕ່ ພວກເຂົາຄແນວ ໃດ (iii) ສຶກສາເບ່ ງິ ວາ່ ຄວາມໄຝຝ່ ນັ ເຖງິ ຄວາມເປັນສະ ໄໝໃໝມ່ ຜ ນົ ສະທອ້ ນຕ່ ຊວ ດິ ຂອງພວກເຂົາແນວໃດ. ການສຶກສາຄງັ້ ນ ້ ແມນ່ ນາ ໃຊແນວ້ ຄດິ ກຽ່ ວກບັ ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝ ່ ຜາ່ ນການສາ ຫຼວດເບ່ ິງສະ ພາບການເຮັດວຽກ, ການດາ ລງົ ຊວ ດິ ແລະການພວົ ພນັ ທາງສງັ ຄມົ ຂອງຍິງສາວທ່ ເຮັດວຽກໃນ ໂຮງງານຕດັ ຫຍິບທ່ ຢໃນ່ ຕວົ ເມອ ງ ໂດຍຄນົ້ ຫາລກັ ສະນະຄວາມເປັນຕວົ ຕນົ ຂອງພວກເຂົາພອ້ ມ ທງັ ການເຄ່ ອ ນໄຫວທາງດາ້ ນສງັ ຄມົ ອ ກ. ຈາກການສຶກສາຄນົ້ ຄວາ້ ວໄຈິ ໃນເຊງ ປະລິມານ ແລະຄຸນນະພາບຢສາມໂຮງງານໃນນະຄອນ່ ຫຼວງວຽງຈນັ ເຫັນວາ່ ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝໃ່ ນມມ ມອງຂອງຍິງສາວທ່ ເປັນແຮງງານເຄ່ ອ ນຍາ້ ຍ ແມນ່ ກຽ່ ວພນັ ກບັ ການບ ລໂພິ ກ ແລະຄວາມສະດວກສະບາຍ, ເຊ່ ງິ ຮວມເອົາຄນຸ ຄາ່ ທ່ ກຽ່ ວພນັ ເຖງິ ຄວາມງາ່ ຍ, ຄວາມສະບາຍໃຈ ແລະຄວາມເປັນອິດສະລະ. ບນັ ດາມຸມມອງເຫ່ ົຼານ ້ ແມນ່ ສະແດງອອກຜາ່ ນການປະຕບິ ດັ ແລະຈນິ ຕະນະການກຽ່ ວກບັ “ຄວາມເປັນສະໄໝໃໝໃ່ ນຕວົ ເມອ ງ” ໂດຍຍງິ ສາວເຫ່ ົຼານນັ້ . ໃນຕວົ ເມອ ງພວກຍິງສາວສາມາດ ປະຕິບດັ ຄວາມເປນັ ສະໄໝໃໝຜ່ າ່ ນການບ ລໂພິ ກ ເຊ່ ງິ ເຮັດໃຫພວກ້ ເຂົາສາມາດສາ້ ງພາບພດົ ໃໝ່ ໃຫກ້ ບັ ຕນົ ເອງ. ພອ້ ມດຽວກນັ ນນັ້ ພວກເຂົາກ່ພະຍາຍາ ມສະແຫວງຫາຄວາມສະດວກສະບາຍ iv ທ່ ວາດພາບໄວວ້ າ່ ຕນົ ເອງຈະພບົ ຜາ່ ນການເຮັດວຽກ ແລະການພວົ ພນັ ທາງສງັ ຄມົ ໃນຕວົ ເມອ ງ. ແຕວ່ າ່ ຄວາມຈງິ ແລວ້ ພວກເຂົາຊາ ້ ພດັ ໄດພ້ ບົ ກບັ ການເຮັດວຽກໜກັ ແລະຍາວນານຫຼາຍຊ່ວົ ໂມງ, ເຮັດໃຫໂອກາດ້ ການພວົ ພນັ ທາງສງັ ຄມົ ທ່ ມໜ ອ້ ຍ ແລະການເຄ່ ອ ນໄຫວທາງສງັ ຄມົ ມ ຄວາມຈາ ກດັ ຈ່ງຶ ເຮັດໃຫພວກ້ ເຂົາພບົ ວາ່ ໃນຄວາມເປັນຈງິ ຄວາມໄຝຝນັ ຂອງພວກເຂົາ ເປັນ ພຽງແຕມະ່ ໂນພາບເທ່ ົານນັ້ . v ABBREVIATION ADB Asian Development Bank APHEDA Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad CMP Cut, make and pack CMT Cut, make and trim CPI Committee for Planning and Investment EU European Union FDI Foreign Direct Investment FOB Free On Board HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HR Human Resource ILO International Labour Organization ITECC International Trade Exhibition and Convention Center JV Joint Venture Lao PDR Lao People’s Democratic Republic LDC Least developed country MIC Ministry of Information and Culture NEM New Economic Mechanism NGPES National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy NRIE Northern Region Industrial Estate NUOL National University of Laos OT Overtime QC Quality Control vi SEA Games South East Asia Games SEZ Special Economic Zone UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women UNDP United Nations Development Programme vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ I ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. III ບດົ ຄດັ ຍ ້............................................................................................................................ IV ABBREVIATION ......................................................................................................... VI CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION