Author: Boontarika Narknisorn
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Diss. no.GD-13-02
Year: 2013
Academic Program: Gender and Development Studies (GDS)
Type: Thesis (Ph.D.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2013
Examination Committee: Kyoko Kusakabe (Chairperson); Mokbul Ahmad, Philippe Doneys (Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: Thai National Policies for Older Persons focus on traditional social norms that mainly expect family to provide elder care. The policies ignore that older persons are actually cared under various arrangements and are not always by their immediate family members. The main objective of this research is to examine gender dimensions of elder care in various living arrangements. The specific objectives are (1.) to explore how the availability and nature of family care influence living arrangements of older persons, (2.) to understand how elder care is perceived by elderly men and elderly women in various living arrangements, (3.) to investigate care needs of elderly men and elderly women from various living arrangements, (4.) to explore how elderly men and elderly women adjust to their living arrangement and (5.) to give recommendations to Thai National Policy for Older Persons. The field study purposively selected Ayutthaya as the study area. Elderly respondents came from seven living arrangements: (1.) living alone in the community, (2.) living alone in the paid home for the aged, (3.) living as couple in the community, (4.) living as couple in a free-of-charge home for the aged, (5.) living with nuclear family, (6.) living with extended family and (7.) living in the free-of-charge home for the aged. Respondents were 11 elderly men, 40 elderly women and 32 key informants. This study was conducted during April to August 2006. Qualitative research was applied to investigate elderly men’s and elderly women’s perspectives. The data was crosschecked, and content analysis was performed. The findings showed that there were more elderly women in most living arrangements. Factors affecting elderly men’s and elderly women’s living arrangement , old age life and adjustment were: gender, availability of family members and close relatives, older persons’ unique personality and needs, availability and access to other living arrangements, income and socioeconomic status of older persons and family me
Scholarship Donor(s):
Note: A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development
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