A study on employment and fertility of female migrant workers in the manufacturing industry of Bangkok and periphery areas

Abstract

The main objectives of this study were two fold. First, to study the general characteristics background in terms of socio-economic, demographic, employment and migration background of female workers in the manufacturing industry. Secondly, to assess the determinants of female workers' fertility and to examine the effect of fertility on employment. The data used in this study were selected ever married female workers from the survey of "Family Planning and Welfare Services for Female Workers in the Manufacturing Industry" conducted by Mahidol University in 1986-1987. The findings from the study revealed that the majority of these female workers were migrants from villages in the central and northern regions of poor families. The average education of the female workers was about 6 years, working as daily wage labourers in the least skilled and low paid positions in spite of working for more than ten years. As the urban household could no longer subsist on a single income, the income from female workers, which were about 3,400 baht per month, were an important contribution to their family. Female workers had small families with the average number of about 1.6 children ever born and an expected family size of about 2.1. Nearly 40 percent of these workers were currently using the pill from private sources, followed by female sterilization from government sources.

The results from multivariate analysis of determinants of fertility showed that age, age square, duration of marriage, family planning method used, husband's income and migration status significantly affected cumulative fertility. Current fertility was significantly affected by age and stock of living children before the current child, family planning methods used, child care choices, education of women, and employment factors in terms of duration of work. Expected additional children was significantly affected by stock of living children, child care choices, education of women, age of the last child, child mortality and family planning method used. The policy implications suggested from this study was that the improvement of education programs, the extention of family planning program and child care facilities in or near by the plant were necessary to provide for female workers by government or by private sector or by joint venture of tri-parties, in order to improve their socio-economic, health status and their child quality.