published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The researcher 1) explored Thai employed wives' perceived fairness in the division of household labor and child care, 2) investigated factors determining Thai's working wives' perception of fairness in the division of household labor and child care, and 3) developed a model of the determinants of wives' perceived fairness in the division of household labor and child care. In the model above, relationships were explored between perceived fairness and twenty independent variables. The data are based on a survey administered to 600 employed wives from three different kinds of workplaces in Bangkok, Thailand: Government sector (n=214), quasi-government sector (n=191) and private sector (n=195). Employed wives were recruited by purposive sampling from each workplace. In addition qualitative interviews were used with a convenience sample of 30 employed wives selected by purposive sampling from the large sample of 600. The interview data suggest explanations for wives' perceived fairness in the division of household labor and child care. Stepwise multiple regression was used to develop a model of the determinants predicting wives' perceived fairness in the division of household labor and child care. Findings are that perceived fairness was positively correlated with feeling appreciated, marital happiness, within-gender comparisons, spending time together, work hours/day, family harmony, and wife's ascription to traditional women's roles; but was negatively correlated with wife's value of housework and men's incompetence at housework. The results of the stepwise multiple regression on perceived fairness of the division of household labor indicated that only 9 of 20 independent variables (predictors) enter the regression model at the .05 level of significance or above, accounting for 32% of the variability. The overall relationship of all predictors to perceived fairness was fairly high. Feeling appreciated is the best predictor, followed by marital happiness, within-gender comparison, wife's value of housework, spending time together, work hours/day of wife, family harmony, wife's ascription of women's roles, and men incompetence at housework. The interview data also support the survey data in that outcome value influence wives' perceived fairness. Wives value several outcomes in doing household work and child care. Comparison referents and justifications are another mechanisms that influence wives' perceived fairness. Most wives use several standards when they evaluate fairness, and also use many reasons to justify lower participation of their husbands. Even though gender ideology as measured, in the survey data, does not contribute much to wives' perceived fairness, the interview data strongly suggest that traditional values and culture in Thai society influence and guide wives' choices of comparison referents and justifications to accept the unbalanced of division of labor as fair for them. Both data sets reinforce that wives' perceived fairness is a result of subjective perception, influenced by emotional needs of wives. The study confirms that outcome values, comparison referents and justifications, along with marital happiness and spending time together with husbands all play important roles in explaining wives' perceived fairness. Results are discussed in terms of the relationship between possible determinants and wives' perceived fairness in the division of household labor and child care. In additions, implications for future research, policy, and education/training are discussed. / Graduation date: 2001

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Photographs invite women to construct their own meanings of the self and illness without boundaries of race, ethnicity, and culture differences. This study analyzed 15 intensive interviews with 15 Asian (Thai) women in Thailand. The results are divided into two parts. In part I, grounded theory analyses revealed four major themes of experiences of Asian (Thai) female breast cancer survivors, including: (1) experiencing uncertainty of signs and symptoms, (2) entering the medical establishment, (3) experiencing self-change after treatment, and, (4) desiring to return to normality. In part II, the 15 women were shown a postmodern artistic photo book of American women who have breast cancer. The goal was to assess how they related to American women faced with their own stories of breast cancer. The results of the postmodern artistic photo book showed that Asian (Thai) women narrated their illness experiences in both modern and postmodern ways. This study not only revealed the sociological perspectives of Asian (Thai) women who suffered from breast cancer as they experienced a four-stage process, but enhanced our understanding of how disease experiences are socially constructed. In addition, this study provides an opportunity for medical systems in both the East and the West to use postmodern artistic photo books of women with breast cancer for forging ties with others, including patients, patients’ families, hospitals, and caregivers.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-esteem inventory for Thai college women. Research questions included whether or not the developed inventory proved to be unidimensional or multidimensional and, if the latter proved to be the case, how many dimensions underlie the construct. The item pool consisted of 70 self-esteem statements derived from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (Adult Form), and items developed for this investigation. Responses to each item were based upon a four point, Likert-type scale. The Delphi technique was applied as the content validation method. As a result of the Delphi process, 68 items were retained and used as a pilot study instrument. The pilot study was conducted among 70 college- age women in Bangkok, Thailand. Based upon item discrimination criteria, 52 items were selected for the final test instrument. The reliability of the pilot study instrument was determined to be +.91, based upon the Hoyt-Stunkard method. The 52-item instrument was then administered to 531 college-age female students in Bangkok, Thailand. Internal consistency reliability was +.94. Factor analysis was utilized to establish construct validity, to determine the dimensionality of the self-esteem instrument, and to identify the number of latent factors related to self-esteem. The concept of self-esteem was found to be multidimensional. The final 36-item instrument which resulted from this study was assessed by Hoyt-Stunkard analysis of variance to assure its reliability. Internal consistency reliability for the final instrument was +.91. Findings revealed that seven factors which reflected characteristics of self-esteem among Thai women were clustered significantly. These factors consisted of: 1) sense of family relations, 2) sense of self-worth, 3) sense of adequacy, 4) sense of competence, 5) sense of efficacy, 6) sense of confidence, and 7) sense of social and peer relations. Conclusions and implications derived from the study will provide a contribution to educational and psychological fields and to related women studies. / Graduation date: 1993