UNMARRIED COHABITATION IN THAILAND : The case of Migrant Workers in Bangkok
(2007)Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
- Abstract
- This research is about unmarried cohabitation in Thailand, a country experiencing rapid economic modernization and social change. The primary aim of this research was to understand "the meaning of living together" in Thai society and societal perception toward this phenomenon from the migrant workers' point of view. The project examined the relationship of migrant workers living together in Bangkok, Thailand. Eleven informants (7 females and 4 males) were selected as key informants. I utilized symbolic interactionism as the basic framework of analysis to understand the meaning of living together from the actor's point of view. To analyze the reasons of moving in together, urbanization concept is being used as an explanatory variable. Based... (More)
- This research is about unmarried cohabitation in Thailand, a country experiencing rapid economic modernization and social change. The primary aim of this research was to understand "the meaning of living together" in Thai society and societal perception toward this phenomenon from the migrant workers' point of view. The project examined the relationship of migrant workers living together in Bangkok, Thailand. Eleven informants (7 females and 4 males) were selected as key informants. I utilized symbolic interactionism as the basic framework of analysis to understand the meaning of living together from the actor's point of view. To analyze the reasons of moving in together, urbanization concept is being used as an explanatory variable. Based on the findings, the research concludes that individuals do not necessarily aim to transform social relations and radically alter the existing social order. Almost half of these people have regretted moving in together and would have wanted a different path for their relationships. The research shows that the spatial context matters in deciding to live together. In urban setting, it is easier for people to cohabit because it removes the pressure of marriage and sex from parents. There are two major findings in this study. The same as in American and European societies, cohabitation is either a prelude to marriage or an alternative lifestyle. Furthermore, most couples still wish to have marriage afterwards, which means that they do not necessarily reject marriage as a social institution. The findings also suggest that Thai societies are more complicated because there are traditions and social norms that need to be followed, such as the dowry money and big wedding ceremony. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1320804
- author
- Samart, Sonsri
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2007
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Social sciences, urbanization, cohabit, Thailand, migrant worker, Samhällsvetenskaper
- language
- English
- id
- 1320804
- date added to LUP
- 2008-03-10 00:00:00
- date last changed
- 2009-04-15 12:28:07
@misc{1320804,
abstract = {{This research is about unmarried cohabitation in Thailand, a country experiencing rapid economic modernization and social change. The primary aim of this research was to understand "the meaning of living together" in Thai society and societal perception toward this phenomenon from the migrant workers' point of view. The project examined the relationship of migrant workers living together in Bangkok, Thailand. Eleven informants (7 females and 4 males) were selected as key informants. I utilized symbolic interactionism as the basic framework of analysis to understand the meaning of living together from the actor's point of view. To analyze the reasons of moving in together, urbanization concept is being used as an explanatory variable. Based on the findings, the research concludes that individuals do not necessarily aim to transform social relations and radically alter the existing social order. Almost half of these people have regretted moving in together and would have wanted a different path for their relationships. The research shows that the spatial context matters in deciding to live together. In urban setting, it is easier for people to cohabit because it removes the pressure of marriage and sex from parents. There are two major findings in this study. The same as in American and European societies, cohabitation is either a prelude to marriage or an alternative lifestyle. Furthermore, most couples still wish to have marriage afterwards, which means that they do not necessarily reject marriage as a social institution. The findings also suggest that Thai societies are more complicated because there are traditions and social norms that need to be followed, such as the dowry money and big wedding ceremony.}},
author = {{Samart, Sonsri}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{UNMARRIED COHABITATION IN THAILAND : The case of Migrant Workers in Bangkok}},
year = {{2007}},
}