This report is one of five country case studies commissioned by Oxfam GB on the effects of the global economic crisis in South East Asia. It shows that Thai women are highly vulnerable to the effects of the financial crisis because they are over-represented in the sectors most affected, such as export manufacturing, the garment industry, electronics, and services.
They tend to be employed in precarious jobs where they are more likely to be fired first or to experience harsh working conditions. Women in Thailand tend to be responsible for family welfare, so are be adversely affected by cuts in public spending on safety nets and by reductions in remittances.
Key recommendations
- The government, regional institutions, and donors should work together to share information on the situation of women in the crisis. They should gather and provide up-to-date, reliable data that is disaggregated by gender, age, and location.
- Thai women workers interviewed called on the government to support women workers by setting up good quality day-care centres in industrial areas; by allowing women to be adequately represented in tripartite committees, and by monitoring companies' (including foreign companies') treatment of workers, particularly women.