Mothernomics: Enhancing maternal workforce participation and socioeconomic sustainability in a developing country

Rattaphong Sonsuphap ,Tanpat Kraiwanit ,Veraphong Chutipat ,Itsaree Phaksipaeng ,Amonrat Sabuysuk ,Sutthiporn Chinnapha

doi:10.24294/jipd9292

Home - JIPD - Volume 8 - Issue 13

Submit to JIPD

Journal Browser

Volume | Year

Issue

• Current lssue

View All

News and Announcements

View All

Mothernomics: Enhancing maternal workforce participation and socioeconomic sustainability in a developing country

Rattaphong Sonsuphap

Tanpat Kraiwanit

Veraphong Chutipat

Itsaree Phaksipaeng

Amonrat Sabuysuk

Sutthiporn Chinnapha

Journal of Infrastructure Policy and Development 2024, 8(13), 9292; https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd9292

Submitted：25 Sept 2024

Accepted：25 Sept 2024

Published：08 Nov 2024

Download PDF(571.40KB)

XML

Abstract

Mothernomics’ explores the role of maternal workforce participation in sustaining economic growth and social cohesion within the Thai context. This study integrates a mixed-method approach, employing logistic regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between key factors such as age, income, education, and occupation, and their impact on maternal workforce participation. Findings from regression analysis suggest that these variables significantly shape the socio-economic outcomes for mothers, underscoring the importance of supportive family-friendly policies. These results highlight the significance of promoting gender equality, enhanced child care, and tailored state interventions to boost maternal employment and societal stability. Qualitative results revealed that the economics of motherhood in Thailand presents challenges like high childcare costs and limited family support, reducing women’s workforce participation. Traditional gender roles and a low birth rate worsen the issue, highlighting the need for policy reforms to support working parents and address economic inequalities.

Keywords

References

Allen, K. R. (2023). Feminist theory, method, and praxis: Toward a critical consciousness for family and close relationship scholars. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(3), 899-936. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211065779

Anderson, D. J., Binder, M., & Krause, K. (2003). The motherhood wage penalty revisited: Experience, heterogeneity, work effort, and work-schedule flexibility. ILR Review, 56(2), 273-294. https://doi.org/10.2307/3590938

Anderson, L. (2021, April 27). The fourth wave: How social media has revolutionised feminism. In Debating Communities and Networks 12 Conference. https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/27/the-fourth-wave-how-social-media-has-revolutionised-feminism/

Angasinha, C., & Lipipun, V. (2024). The study of mothernomics, its social benefits and organizational impact. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 8(1), 58-67. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgobrv8i1p5

Bell, E., Meriläinen, S., Taylor, S., et al. (2020). Dangerous knowledge: The political, personal, and epistemological promise of feminist research in management and organization studies. International Journal of Management Reviews, 22(2), 177-192. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12221

Bishara, D. H. (2022). Gender and sex in the structure of feminist theories: A concept and a development. International Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, 2(5), 28-45. https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijllc.1.1

Bright Horizons Family Solutions. (2017). The modern families index 2017. London: Cambridge House.

Buchman, C., & McDaniel, A. (2016). Motherhood and the wages of women in professional occupations. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2(4), 128. https://doi.org/10.7758/rsf.2016.2.4.05

Buranajaroenkij, D. (2017). Country study on political feminism and the women’s movement in Thailand: Actors, debates and strategies. Bangkok: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/thailand/13363.pdf

Campaña, J. C., Gimenez-Nadal, J. I., & Velilla, J. (2023). Measuring gender gaps in work time in Latin American countries. Applied Economics Letters, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2023.2206102

Chantanusornsiri, W. (2021, April 9). An ageing conundrum. Bangkokpost. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2100451/an-ageing-conundrum

Crossman, A. (2021, February 16). Feminist theory in sociology: An overview of key ideas and issues. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/feminist-theory-3026624

Deming, S. M. (2022). Beyond measurement of the motherhood penalty: How social locations shape mothers’ work decisions and stratify outcomes. Sociology Compass, 16(6), e12988. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12988

Duriesmith, D., & Meger, S. (2020). Returning to the root: Radical feminist thought and feminist theories of International Relations. Review of International Studies, 46(3), 357-375. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210520000133

Esquivel, V. (2020). Feminist economics. Companion to Feminist Studies, 265-279. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119314967.ch15

Ferrant, G., Pesando, L, & Nowacka, K. (2014). Unpaid care work: The missing link in the analysis of gender gaps in labour outcomes. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/Unpaid_care_work.pdf

Finneman, T., & Volz, Y. (2020). Leading the second wave into the third wave: US women journalists and discursive continuity of feminism. Feminist Media Studies, 20(6), 863-878. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2019.1644658

Fotaki, M., & Pullen, A. (2024). Feminist theories and activist practices in organization studies. Organization Studies, 45(4), 593-616. https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406231209861

Glauber, R. (2018). Trends in the motherhood wage penalty and fatherhood wage premium for low, middle, and high earners. Demography, 55(5), 1663–1680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-018-0712-5

Hasan, Z., & Khan, S. (2022). Women rights and feminism: A historical view. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 3(3), 1211-1215. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.2022.3.3.3

Heymann, J., Sprague, A. R., Nandi, A., et al. (2017). Paid parental leave and family wellbeing in the sustainable development era. Public Health Reviews, 38, 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-017-0067-2

Hsiao, H. (2023). A cross-national study of family-friendly policies, gender egalitarianism, and work–family conflict among working parents. Plos One, 18(9), e0291127. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291127

Inpim, C. (2024). Motherhood Concepts and The Capitalist Patriarchy: Mothers in Thai Society. Journal of Social Sciences Naresuan University, 20(1), 333–358. https://doi.org/10.69650/jssnu.2024.259902

International Labour Organization. (2017). Towards a better future for women and work: Voices of women and men. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_546256.pdf

Jain, S. (2020, July). The rising fourth wave: Feminist activism on digital platforms in India. Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Issue Brief, 384, 1-16. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1349498/the-rising-fourth-wave/1961656/

Jung, K. (2013). Practicing feminism in South Korea: The issue of sexual violence and the women’s movement. Hecate, 29(2), 261-284. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336796315

Kamberidou, I. (2020). “Distinguished” women entrepreneurs in the digital economy and the multitasking whirlpool. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 9(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-0114-y

Kanchanachitra, M. (2019). The price of having children: when work and children are tied together on the same rope. https://ipsr.mahidol.ac.th/ipsrbeta/FileUpload/PDF/Report-File-588.pdf

Killewald, A., & Zhuo, X. (2019). U.S. Mothers’ long-term employment patterns. Demography, 56(1), 285–320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-018-0745-9

Kositpipat, O. (2020). Feminist Concept: Communication for Creating Women’s Participation in Local Development Suratthani Rajabhat Journal, 7(1), 1-18. https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/srj/article/download/241846/164490

Landivar, L. C., Ruppanner, L., & Scarborough, W. J. (2021). Are states created equal? Moving to a state with more expensive childcare reduces mothers’ odds of employment. Demography, 58(2), 8997420. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-8997420

Łapniewska, Z. (2018). Epistemology of feminist economics. In: Giorgino, V., Walsh, Z. (eds) Co-Designing Economies in Transition. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66592-4_8

Limna, P., Kraiwanit, T., Kasrisom, A., et al. (2024). Generation alpha development policy and strategy in the digital era: A Thai perspective. Rom Yoong Thong Journal, 2(1), 93-106. https://so08.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/romyoongthong/article/view/2729

Looze, J. (2014). Young women’s job mobility: The influence of motherhood status and education: Young women’s job mobility. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(4), 693–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12122

Lu, Y., Wang, J. S.-H., & Han, W.-J. (2017). Women’s short-term employment trajectories following birth: Patterns, determinants, and variations by race/ethnicity and nativity. Demography, 54(1), 93–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-016-0541-3

Mohajan, H. (2022). Four waves of feminism: A blessing for global humanity. Social Science & Humanities, 1(2), 1-8. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/id/eprint/114328

Musick, K., Bea, M. D., & Gonalons-Pons, P. (2020). His and her earnings following parenthood in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. American Sociological Review, 85(4), 639–674. https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224209344

Nateeprasittiporn, C., & Chaichompoo, M. (2019). Labor market preparation for the future of the ageing society: Lessons from Japan to Thailand. jsn Journal, 9(2), 98-116. https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jsn/article/view/160040

National Statistical Office. (2023). Report on Gender Statistic 2023. https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Analytical-Reports/Report_Gender_2023/2/

Parrott, H. M. (2014). Housework, children, and women’s wages across racial–ethnic groups. Social Science Research, 46, 72-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.02.004

Paweenawat, S. W. (2019, July 25). Gender wage gap and their impact on having children in Thailand. https://www.pier.or.th/abridged/2019/15/

Pepping, A., & Maniam, B. (2020). The Motherhood Penalty. Journal of Business & Behavioral Sciences, 32(2), 110-172. https://asbbs.org/files/2020/JBBS_Vol_32.2_Fall_2020.pdf

Peroni, C., & Rodak, L. (2020). Introduction. The fourth wave of feminism: From social networking and self-determination to sisterhood. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 10(1), 1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1160

Power, K. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the care burden of women and families. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1), 67-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2020.1776561

Promjuk, W. (2020). Social movement of Thai women’s movement reform for women’s rights. Journal of Social Science and Buddhistic Anthropology, 6(1), 212-226. https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/JSBA/article/download/247101/168965

Rafiyya, A., Kraiwanit, T., Limna, P., et al. (2024). Early childhood social-emotional development: An impact on a developing country. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(5), 3081-3089. http://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i5.29462

Samutachak, B., & Kanchanachitra, M. (2016, December 27). Rāyngān: Ngān wicạy skw. Khị prisnā thảmị khn cen wāy mı xyāk mī lūk [Report: NRCT research solves the mystery of why Generation Y people don’t want to have children]. Knowledge Farm. https://knowledgefarm.tsri.or.th/gen-y-no-child/

Setthawilai, P. (2019, April 23). Phs. Dr. Mnsikār Kāỵcnacitrā: Meux kār pĕn phuhỵing mı dı thảhı khn seīyperīyb thèā kār pĕn mæ [Asst. Prof. Dr. Manasikarn Kanchanachitra: Females are disadvantaged not by gender but through motherhood]. The101.world. https://www.the101.world/manasikan-interview/

Shafer, E. F. (2011). Wives’ relative wages, husbands’ paid work hours, and wives’ labor-force exit. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(1), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00802.x

Sharma, S. (2022). The emergence of feminist theory and practice. Indiana Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(8), 24-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7041375

Sonsuphap, R., Chutipat, V., & Chaiyarose, S. (2023). Mothernomics in Thailand. http://lms.nhrc.or.th/ulib/dublin.php?ID=13943

Sorum, P., Prachyapruit, T., & Suksamran, S. (2020). Development of Maternity Law in Thailand. Rajapark Journal, 14(33), 216–228. Retrieved from https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/RJPJ/article/view/192179

Thetlek, R., Shaengchart, Y., Kraiwanit, T., et al. (2024). Innovation management and impact on social economy: A perspective of community enterprise in a developing country [Special issue]. Journal of Governance & Regulation, 13(1), 264–276. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv13i1siart1

Torres, A. J. C., Barbosa-Silva, L., Oliveira-Silva, L. C., et al. (2024). The impact of motherhood on women’s career progression: A scoping review of evidence-based interventions. Behavioral Sciences, 14(4), 275. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040275

Urban, J., & Pürckhauer, A. (2016, December 18). Feminist economics. Exploring Economics. https://www.exploring-economics.org/en/orientation/feminist-economics/

World Economic Forum. (2023, June). The global gender gap index 2023 ranking. World Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2023.pdf

Yu, W. H., & Kuo, J. C. L. (2017). The motherhood wage penalty by work conditions: How do occupational characteristics Hinder or empower mothers? American Sociological Review, 82(4), 744–769. https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224177127

Zunaidi, A., & Maghfiroh, F. (2021). The role of women in improving the family economy. Dinar Jurnal Ekonomi dan Keuangan Islam, 8(1), 61-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.21107/dinar.v8i1.10581

Previous
article in this issue

Next
article in this issue