ED 77.

02: Social Research Methods in Development Planning

Assignment 1: Review Article and

Analysis
ria permana sari (111366)

Class and Gender Influences on Employment Practices in Thailand: An

Examination of Equity Policy and Practice, Katherine Hutchings, Women in
Management Review Vol. 15 Number 8, 2000, p 385-400.

1. What was article about?

The article examines gender equity policy and practices in the local and
foreign organization in Thailand, and how it was influenced by social
and cultural practices.

2. What was the concept(s) and theory(ies) (or conceptual

framework) used in the study?
The article based on social closure and gender inequality theory.
2.1.Can you define them?
Social closure theory argues that the discrimination or
marginalized position of women is an agent of social closure, by
placing some individuals different than the others.
Gender inequality theory suggests that gender inequality is
caused by interlocked interest which creates stigmatization and
women’s exclusion (also ethnic and class minority group). The
exclusion is derived from heterogeneous interaction of gender,
ethnicity and class, and its factors contribute on women’s
marginalized position.

Concept of class refers to the socio-economic condition of the

individuals (include the educational levels) also the social linkage
which individuals have.

2.2. Can you explain them in a sentence(s) or short paragraph,

in your own words?

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Social closure theory addresses that society placing some

individuals differently than others. By using that theory in terms
of gender inequality, the marginalized position of women is
caused by the society’s perspective on women’s sub-ordinate
position relative to men. That condition caused gender inequality
which can be derived from the heterogeneous interplay of gender,
ethnicity and class.

3. What was/were the objective(s) of the study? (Identify

both general and specific objectives if available).
The objectives of the study are to address the employment conditions
and organizations’ responses to gender equality related with women
worker’s position; and to address the implication of socio-cultural
factors (class and gender) to the women’s employment condition in the
selected organization in Thailand.

4. Were there any hypotheses formulated? If yes what were

they? If no, skip this question.
There are no hypotheses on that article.

5. What was/were the categories (exploratory, descriptive

and explanatory) and type (primary and secondary) of
research?
The category of research is exploratory, because what the research
explore (the class and gender influences on employment) is a new
area of investigation in management and there is little knowledge and
information related with that problem or situation under study.
Through this research can leads to the discovery of potentially
significant factors/ variables that could explain a phenomenon and the
possibilities of causal relationship between class and gender influences
on employment practices and policy. The author also suggests the
future research on that matter.

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The major type of this article is primary research, because the author
gets the data from the informant/ sources directly. But she also used
secondary data to support her research (i.e. ILO’s data).

6. What was the research design? (survey, experimental

design or combination of them or other, please specify)
On the researcher’s lens, the research design was survey. But, on my
opinion, the research design was case study, because the researcher
limited the coverage of population, only focus on the management of
12 local and foreign organizations in Thailand, and the data is
qualitative (survey research using quantitative data).

7. What were the sample design and the sampling

method(s)? (How many of the sample? Who are the
informants/ target groups? Where did the study area?)
This research used aggregate unit, in where the author placing
organization as her unit of analysis.

The sampling design is purposive sampling, because the selection of

samples is done by choice of judgment and not by chance. The
researcher decided the choice by considering small and large, local and
foreign organization across industries, also by the basis of having been
in operation for a minimum of five years.

There are 12 local and foreign organizations in Thailand as the

samples, and there are 20 interviewees (chief executive officer and/or
human resources manager).

8. What kinds of methods or techniques were used in data

gathering? (Secondary data or primary data including
questionnaire, interview, observation, key informant,
group discussion, rapid rural appraisal (RRA),
participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and other).
The method/ technique of data gathering were semi structured
interview.

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8.1.What were the shortcomings of the mentioned methods?

(please consider in general or any comments from the
researcher)
The shortcomings of semi structured interview which mentioned
by the researcher are the possibility of facilitator’s bias and
inconsistency in recording response. Since all of the data are
qualitative, it might be the difficulties in analyzing the data and
interpretation because of the massive information and also
related with reliability of the findings.

The researcher also mentioned the limitation of using the small

samples, which is the sample can not represent all of the industry
in Thailand.

8.2.What better method(s) or techniques could have been

used in your view?
In my opinion, it would be better if the researcher also conduct
group discussion with women worker in each organization. By
doing that, the researcher can cross check the information that
already got with the real situation also get diversified opinion and
enable to explore wider issues.

9. What kind of data analysis applied in the article?

The data analysis which is applied in the article is qualitative analysis.

9.1.Quantitative analysis (descriptive and/or analytical

statistics)
Frequency, percentage, means, medium, mode and/or analytical
statistic employing certain types of multivariate analysis i.e.,
multiple regression analysis, factor analysis, discriminant analysis
and other. Or it is used only qualitative analysis and how?)
-
9.2. Qualitative analysis (case study, statement/ wording,
synthesizing table, diagram and other).
The article used qualitative analysis through case study analysis,
with the subject areas for analysis are the practice which is

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employed by the examine organizations and also manager’s

understanding on the factor that impinge their decision.

Next the data are presented in diagram for examining data, and
also analyze through the statement of the respondent.

10. What were the major findings of the article (including

hypothesis testing if any)?
• Summarize each of major findings
There are six major finding on the article. First, there are positive
relations between the number of women in the managerial position
and the number of female employees. It means that if there are no/
few female managers there will be few/ no female employees.
Mostly, the women in the managerial position are from the high
socio-economic group.

Second, related with recruitment and selection, the organizations

did not have formal equity policies because women are well
represented in private enterprise and the discrimination against
women is quite uncommon. Gender is does not matter, because the
important thing is the quality of individuals.

Third, there was no discrimination or affirmative action related with

selection for training, because training available to all employees
(male or females). One of organization has specific policy on equity,
but there is no effort in order to make it practice effectively.

Fourth, as well as male, women have promotion opportunities that

more or less depend on class. All of the organization on the
promotion process using performance appraisal. There are no
organizations which specifically encourage women for promotion
because they thought that women are already represented and
encouraging women would be seen as inequity or discrimination
process.

Fifth, related with compensation and benefit, women have equal

opportunity as well as men, but there are few initiatives in
recognizing the specific needs of women. In examples, although
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there are maternity leaves for 90 days, but there are no paternal
leaves. It means that reproductive work still seen as a women work.
And the women, especially in the top position did not used full
maternal leaves, because it would give disadvantages to her. The
company also did not provided child care or another service to assist
working mother.

And at least, there are few significant differences between Thai

companies and foreign companies to comply the dictates of the
local socio cultural environment.

• Explain result of each hypotheses testing (if any)

There are no hypotheses, so no hypotheses testing.

11. What were the main conclusion(s) of the article?

The organization should look at/ giving attention to the class and
gender and the implication of that factors to the equity policy and
programms.

12. In what way does the article is related and/or beneficial to

your work and your country?
• Are there any similarities and differences from the major findings of
the article with what you have found in your country? If yes, what
are those?

Yes there are any similarities and differences from the major findings
of the article.

The similarities are a few intentions to provide social benefit policy for
the women, and also the influences of class and gender on
employment practice. The difference is the women’s worker in
Indonesia, comparing with men is not well representative. The number
of women’s worker in informal sector in Indonesia is larger than the
women’s worker in the formal sector. Rather than in Thailand, the
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gender inequality in Indonesia is more explicit in influencing the

employment practice.

• Discuss and make comparison.

Comparing with Indonesia, in terms of women’s education level,

women’s education level in Indonesia is not as high as Thailand.
Because of the high foreign direct investment and the rapid economic
growth in Thailand, women could get better education. It makes the
well representative of women in the labor force. In Indonesia, because
of the low level of education, most of the women working in insecure
area (in example: informal sector, part time job, etc).

Related with the women’s worker condition, in table III of this article,
we can know that among another south East Asia country, the
women’s work in Thailand is much better. As well as Thailand, related
with the social benefit, there is a little organization in Indonesia that
provides good social benefit for women. And women in the high
position sometimes did not take it, because it would make them in the
disadvantage position since women should compete with the men.
Women should take efforts two times than men to prove that they are
as productive as men. As well as the condition of women in Thailand,
that can not be generalized, women from high class in Indonesia get
more benefit then women from low class. Since they have better
education that can give them better opportunities on job and also
supporting system (i.e. can hiring domestic worker that can help them,
etc). When the women did not have the supporting system, it can
effected to their productivity, because of their double (or might be
triple) burden job (productive, reproductive and community).

Related with the recruitment process, In Indonesia, the job’s

stereotype is very explicit. That stereotype leads the inequity policy. In
example the job opportunity, the organization seems maintaining the
stereotype on several job whether it is men’s job or women’s job. It
means that in the recruitment process is also influenced by
stereotype.

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Because of most of the women’s position in the low skilled job, so the
opportunity to get promotion relatively small. As mentioned before to
get opportunity, women should take two times harder effort than men.