Women In Bangkok Found Working Long Hours

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HEALTH

Women in Bangkok found working long hours

DUANGKAMON SAJIRAWATTANAKUL

THE NATION

Most women in Bangkok spend up to nine hours a day at work, which means many have little time to spend with their children.

BANGKOK: -- Hence the Public Health Ministry is planning four measures to tackle this issue next year. In a speech delivered at National Mental Health Week, Deputy Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew revealed the result of a survey conducted last month on 1,203 women in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani.

National Mental Health Week, which kicked off at CentralWorld last Thursday and runs until tomorrow, focuses on promoting mental health of women and children as well as preventing domestic violence.

The respondents, 31 per cent of whom were single and 59 per cent married, said they spent up to nine hours and 15 minutes at work or at school daily and only had about three hours and 50 minutes free to spend with their families. Cholnan said these figures were worrying, especially among mothers, because this meant the development of their offspring might be affected.

He added that one in four of the women with children was a single mother and up to 10 per cent said their kids were doing drugs.

The Mental Health Department and related agencies are hoping to implement four measures. The first would be to launch a campaign to inform victims of domestic violence of their rights and to establish a One-Stop Crisis Centre at all community hospitals.

The second would be to have maternity clinics also provide mental-health assessment and depression prevention at 800 hospitals nationwide, while the third would be to establish child-development clinics at community hospitals.

Last, a "one clinic one school" project would be launched to ensure children's physical and mental health at secondary schools.

According to the survey, the average score for happiness was 7.46 out of 10 points. Also, 66 per cent of the respondents said it was their family that brought them the most happiness, while 11 per cent said it was success at work or school.

Financial problems were was cited as a source of unhappiness by 28 per cent of the respondents, followed by family at 24 per cent and love at 18 per cent.

When asked who they thought of first when facing happiness or sadness, 38 per cent cited parents and 21 per cent said children or the spouse.

-- The Nation 2012-11-06

[jackr]

I did read 'nine hours', right? So what's wrong with that? I was expecting to read 12 hours. I'll get slated for this, but most Thais (generally) do not push themselves and have two-three people doing a one-man job. Sorry, guys, but if you want the high life and to drag your country out of third world status (), one needs to work ones ass off.

Edited November 5, 2012 by jackr

[lizardtongue]

Maybe the reason they work long hours is because they have to? Perhaps they need an increase in the minimum wage?

BANGKOK, Nov 5 – The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) petitioned the labour ministry to review and postpone the minimum wage rise, set to be applied countrywide in January.

Obviously the FTI do not agree?

[isaanbrit]

BREAKING NEWS: Women have jobs!

Men work probably more than 9 hrs / day and their kids turn out fine?

[Payboy]

Women In Bangkok Found Working Long Hours

Who said keeping up with Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites isn't time-consuming?

Edited November 6, 2012 by Payboy

[uptheos]

In the west 8-5 with an hour for lunch would be considered quite easy (includes an hour for lunch).

We're always being told about the strong family ties, so I'm sure there's no problem getting someone to look after the kids......they wouldn't need to pay day care......what's the big deal?

And, many travel for more than an hour each way.

Edited November 6, 2012 by uptheos

[TheWalkingMan]

9 hours? That seems like a regular day for most people.

[OzMick]

At least some of them aren't on their feet all day.

[MaxLee]

Well it's more like that people in Thailand spend at least up to 6 hours or more in traffic, and if you add up the work load in the office, you know what I mean???

[moe666]

Add chiang mai to that as well, also add 6 day work week and overtime. Met a couple of girls who are now working in a bar because the factory work was way too hard for little pay, 10 too 12 hour work day plus commute.

[Fozfromoz]

At least some of them aren't on their feet all day.

Horizontal Folk Dancers?

[frimu]

Make public transportation quicker, problem solved!

Every day the loose 3 to 4 hours for that. That's the problem!

Edited November 6, 2012 by frimu

[HeavyDrinker]

What a load of cobblers.

Sounds to me like the government are getting ready to find reasons to restrict working hours so no-one's working long days at 300B an hour.

A good percentage of young Thai couples with kids will farm em out to their parents (especially if their earning potential is greater to the family than the grandparents) such is the cycle of life here. The older weaker but wiser grandparents raise the kids, the stronger, younger, fresher ones provide the bread (or rice).

Even where we live which is a reasonably well to do estate with a good percentage of young professional Thai couples, the number with kids who actually live with them is very low indeed.

Outside of school holidays you scarcely even see a brat around here.

[davejones]

I did read 'nine hours', right? So what's wrong with that? I was expecting to read 12 hours. I'll get slated for this, but most Thais (generally) do not push themselves and have two-three people doing a one-man job. Sorry, guys, but if you want the high life and to drag your country out of third world status (), one needs to work ones ass off.

Utter crap. Do you know any Thai people? If you knew enough you'd know that many work extremely hard and it's more like one person doing the job or two or three for many of them. Yes, some places are overstaffed, but it's not the majority.

[belg]

being at work and working is not the same... social interaction is the key word, not WORKING ... long lunches and breaks also count as work ?

[Robby nz]

The lady next door to us sells pork in the market, she starts at 12 midnight and sells through to about mid day.

She then goes with her sons to kill and butcher the pigs for the next day and gets back about 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

7 days a week. We know this because her daughter comes to our place.

The Mrs sister leaves for for work at 5-30 in the morning and gets back about 7-30 in the evening. When she works nights (week about) its the other way around. She only does 6 day weeks. We know because we look after her son.

There are so many others who do the same sort of hours.

Dont tell me Thais dont work hard for what little money they get.

[jbrain]

The lady next door to us sells pork in the market, she starts at 12 midnight and sells through to about mid day.

She then goes with her sons to kill and butcher the pigs for the next day and gets back about 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

7 days a week. We know this because her daughter comes to our place.

The Mrs sister leaves for for work at 5-30 in the morning and gets back about 7-30 in the evening. When she works nights (week about) its the other way around. She only does 6 day weeks. We know because we look after her son.

There are so many others who do the same sort of hours.

Dont tell me Thais dont work hard for what little money they get.

Your story is about someone in NZ yeah?

Because I know loads and loads self employed in the Western world, including me in my former live, who work those hours every day.

[FOODLOVER]

Cry me a river.

[jcw]

BREAKING NEWS: Women have jobs!

Men work probably more than 9 hrs / day and their kids turn out fine?

Yes, even in Amazing Thailand has working girls.

[NoshowJones]

Add chiang mai to that as well, also add 6 day work week and overtime. Met a couple of girls who are now working in a bar because the factory work was way too hard for little pay, 10 too 12 hour work day plus commute.

Six day work and overtime, is one day a week enough for them to teach their eight year olds how to ride a motorbike?

[hhiser]

9 hours and 15 minutes at work leaving only 3 hours 50 minutes to spend with their families. Which means they sleep for 10 hours and 55 minutes a night! Maybe they should cut back on the amount of sleep they get in 1 night?

Edited November 6, 2012 by hhiser

[pmem]

I did read 'nine hours', right? So what's wrong with that? I was expecting to read 12 hours. I'll get slated for this, but most Thais (generally) do not push themselves and have two-three people doing a one-man job. Sorry, guys, but if you want the high life and to drag your country out of third world status (), one needs to work ones ass off.

Utter crap. Do you know any Thai people? If you knew enough you'd know that many work extremely hard and it's more like one person doing the job or two or three for many of them. Yes, some places are overstaffed, but it's not the majority.

I have lived on and off in Thailand for over 40 rears and a I can count on one hand the amount of Thais that actually put in a full days hard and meaningful work. (Be it male / female or other) And I know a lot of Thais.

[arthurwait]

Is that photo actually women leaving central world after another hard days shopping ?

Edited November 6, 2012 by arthurwait

[arthurwait]

How many businesses do Thai- Chinese own ?

[transam]

I did read 'nine hours', right? So what's wrong with that? I was expecting to read 12 hours. I'll get slated for this, but most Thais (generally) do not push themselves and have two-three people doing a one-man job. Sorry, guys, but if you want the high life and to drag your country out of third world status (), one needs to work ones ass off.

When l think of the <deleted> hours l and my wife worked all our life to pay the bills with no afternoon nap AND our taxes to keep half the planet then this thread makes me laugh. WAKE UP Thailand if you want to be anything like the west and it's goodies.

[friendphil]

I am acquainted with the working hours of (mostly women) workers at the food court of a large department store, where they normally have two days (or less) off per month, and typically begin work about 7 a.m., one going home early in the day (4 or 5 p.m.) the other working until 8 or 9 p.m. until closing and clean-up. That's a lot of work, and for wages well below the suggested 300 baht per day minimum wage. So, that's a 6 1/2 day work week on average, with an average 60 hour work week. Sounds like more than the Bangkok women are working, and probably very typical in many parts of Thailand. I guess they don't need to earn much because they have so little time to spend anything.

[dcutman]

Watching a Thai work, is like watching ants gather food. Working hard, but going round and round in circles.

Thai's have no concept of work smart not hard.

[Payboy]

It's not the hours you put in, it's what you put in the hours that's important.

[Boss]

Welcome to the 1; world......

[Thai at Heart]

The two hour commute doesn't help.....