Author: Amparat Sudngam
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no.RD-18-09
Year: 2018
Academic Program: Regional and Rural Development Planning (RRDP)
Type: Thesis (M. Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2018
Examination Committee: Mokbul Morshed Ahmad (Chairperson); Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen, Kyoko Kusakabe (Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: Drastic change in their livelihood, mainly due to the change in the agricultural pattern in addition to the increased economic pressure, rural women are forced to enter works in the informal sector due to low education and lack of skills, including home-based works. The One Tambon One Product (aTOP) Program of the Thai government was developed in aiming to improve the livelihood of people in the rural areas by making use of the local wisdom and local creativity to develop products, with the government and other related agencies providing technical support in product development, technical knowhow as well as marketing knowledge and information, which are considered as resources or process which would induce empowerment outcomes. Due to the ability to earn income is known to be an essential means towards empowerment outcome for personal and social development of women as well as OTOP being a program which is essentially aimed at the improvement of women’s livelihoods through economic and social means, this research has studied the economic and social empowerment of home- based women who are involved in OTOP income generating activities through comparative study with non home-based aTOP women. It has examined OTOP men’s empowerment elements OTOP women’s empowerment both socially and economically. Findings have shown that aTOP home-based work has up to a certain extent led to rural women’s economic and social empowerment personally, collectively and relatively. However, there exists limitations due to both internal (cultural and traditional) and external (political and institutional) factors prohibiting women to be able to fully exercise their powers both intrinsically as well as relational to the social settings.
Scholarship Donor(s): Royal Thai Government Scholarship
Note: A thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of science in Regional and Rural Development Planning
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