Intersections of Gender, Work and Health: Migrant Beer Sellers in Southeast Asia

PROBLEM: Although population health research has increasingly brought attention to the linkages between gender, work and health, the conditions of women working in service industries, one of the most precarious and burgeoning sectors of the global labour market, remains understudied. In this research project, we focus on one group of female service workers, primarily rural-to-urban migrants, who find work in the cities, towns, and beach resorts of Southeast Asia as beer sellers. Workplace conditions intersecting with concerns regarding gendered roles and expectations have been cited by key stakeholders to be among the most significant contributors to women’s deteriorating health status. This project seeks to illuminate the gender and workplace issues that impact this population of women.

RESEARCH TEAM

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Denise L. Spitzer

Co-Investigators:

Dr. Jean Grassman, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, USA
Dr. Gail Webber, Bruyère Institute, University of Ottawa, Canada
Dr. Rantana Somrongthong, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Lt. Col. Hatairat Kaoaiem (Ph.D), Royal Thai Army Nursing College , Thailand
Prof. Sisokhom Sek, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Dr. Vanphanom Sychareun, University of Health Sciences, Laos

Research Coordinator:

Ms. Naomi Tschirhart

Project Coordinator:

Ms. Mora Gibbings

Country Research Managers:

Ms. Phearoth Mey, Cambodia
Dr. Vathsana Somphet, Laos
Dr. Ong-On Prajankett, Thailand

FUNDING:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What are the workplace hazards faced by migrant women beer sellers in three types of venues (restaurants, bars/beer gardens, and nightclubs/karaoke clubs) in three Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos)? What are the gendered dimensions of these workplace hazards? How do these issues relate to the embodied sociopolitical and historical context of each environment?

METHODS: To most fully comprehend the intersections of gender, work and health amongst this marginalized population of migrant workers, we will undertake a participatory mixed-methods study that employs qualitative and quantitative methods including focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, participant observation, a large-scale survey, and interactive knowledge integration activities.

OUTCOMES

An improved understanding of how gender, work, and health intersect with other social identifiers such as socioeconomic class, migrant status, geography, sexuality and culture.
A set of recommendations to mitigate the deleterious aspects of beer sellers’ work, to be shared and refined in collaboration with government, industry, non-governmental organizations, labour, and advocacy groups.

PRESENTATIONS:

“Dressing Pretty, Performing Sexy: The Work of Gender among Migrant Beer Sellers in Southeast Asia” by D.L. Spitzer and N. Tschirhart, Gender and Change: Transcending Boundaries Conference, Chinese University of Hong Kong, SAR, December 8, 2015.