Showing papers in "Development and Change in 1983"

The Dynamics of Sex Tourism: The Case of Southeast Asia

Abstract: There seems to be a strong correlation between the development of the tourist industry and the rise of prostitution in the Third World (Cohen 1982; O’Grady 1981; Stol 1980; Bond 1980; Ech & Rosenblum 1975). a familiar example being the publicity given to sex tours in sex magazines and travel agency brochures. Although prostitution is an ancient phenomenon, and services catering to travellers date back for centuries, today it has reached a stage where services are fully packaged and sold on a vast scale. In 1982 for example, more than one million Japanese tourists visited Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong on tours called ‘trips for men only’ which explicitly include visits to brothels (Sunduy Times 13.2.1983: 20). An estimated 60 per cent of the two million tourists visiting Thailand each year are allegedly drawn by bargain-priced sex (Time 10.5.1982: 31). For sex tourism to have reached this order of magnitude, there must be a supply of the necessary facilities, i.e. transport, accommodation and entertainment, and a large number of women willing (or forced) to enter the trade. Moreover, sex tourism involves travel across national boundaries. To operate on a mass basis, it must benefit from systematic organization and cooperation between a number of institutions, thus minimizing the uncertainties faced by the tourists in the countries of destination.

Manipulated Motherhood. The Marginalization of Peasant Women in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract: The main question in this analysis of the marginalization of peasant women in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka during colonial and post-colonial times is which mechanisms in both the ideological sphere and the social structure have influenced and worsened the situation of women during the last century. Emphasis is on motherhood in its cultural sense as one of the key institutions through which women are discriminated against and manipulated. From a position as important subsistence cultivators the peasant women of Sri Lanka have been manipulated into one of complete marginality. Their motherhood makes them responsible for bringing up the next generation. Yet in trying to fulfill this task they are now dependent on the males whose economic contribution has become highly questionable. Sri Lankan women who stand up against sexual inequality and discrimination emphasize the tenacity with which in literature along with daily life women are presented as mothers with a servile nature. Formerly economically important subsistence cultivators the peasant women of Sri Lanka have been manipulated into a position of complete marginality. Women in the landowning class are exploited as unpaid family workers and as dependent housewives. In the landless class they are exploited underpaid and stigmatized as casual laborers if they can get work at all. Their vulnerability in this process of marginalization springs from traditional gender conceptions that are centered around motherhood. Their powerlessness is reinforced by the penetration of capitalism with its ideology of male breadwinners and female housewives and mothers. It is this same ideology which cuts these women off from access to the labor market and to all resources needed for modern farming holds them morally and practically responsible for the care of their children and other household members. Freedom of women from their subservient and secondary position requires the abandonment of age old customs which militate against their productive employment. Under the subsistence economy peasant women have always been economically productive. Once that economy and the "custom" of motherhood became incorporated into the capitalist structure and ideology their ability to make use of vital resources was undermined. The manipulation of women to continue their mothering is one of the strongest conservative forces and guarantees the continual and unlimited exploitation of the rural poor. An equal distribution of the pain and the jobs of mothering between the sexes is required to liberate both ordinary man and woman.

Costa Rica at the Crossroads

Abstract: Costa Rlcans have long prided themselves in having one of the few stable democracies in the sea of military dictatorships in Latin America. While this achievement is indeed a remarkable one, particularly when compared to the rampant militarism and brutality characteristic of Central America today, Costa Ricans have suffered from a ‘Narcissistic’ syndrome which has often prevented them from re-examining and truly democratizing the socio-political system. Too proud of their country’s ‘unique’ democratic traditions, Costa Ricans frequently have dismissed critics as ‘anti-democratic’, and few significant steps have been taken to lessen social inequities and to extend political participation. In fact, if only one word could be used to describe Costa Rican society and politics today, it would be ‘immobilism’. Since 1948 successive governments have avoided challenging the power and privileges of the ruling elite, and have sought to raise the standard of living of a large percentage of the population through public spending and foreign borrowing. Badly needed changes, such as land and tax reforms, have been largely ignored or, when attempted, have been applied in an ineffective, token-like manner. Today, in the midst of a severe economic crisis that is threatening the very basis of their democratic institutions, Costa Ricans are

Mass Communication, Cosmopolite Channels, and Family Planning Among Villagers in Mexico

Abstract: An attempt was made to explore in greater detail the relative contribution of different external communication channels on 1 type of social change i.e. the adoption of family planning practices. The data were collected in a Mexican village which is located about 60 miles from Mexico City and about 6 miles from the capital of the State of Mexico. The village which can be characterized by a subsistence economy is composed of about 100 farming families with an average of 4.5 children/family. The majority of the adults in the village are involved in agriculture but some of the youth travel to the nearby city for industrial employment. 81 females and 55 males were interviewed during the fall of 1978 and the winter of 1979. The interviewees constituted all villagers of 12 years of age or older who could be reached and who consented to be interviewed. The independent variables in the analysis were indices of media use and travel/interpersonal communication. Dependent variables were indices of family planning knowledge attitudes and practice. To detect any relationship between exposure to external communication channels and family size the ultimate goal of family planning programs number of children was also treated as a dependent variable. Of the 136 respondents 80% reported having a radio at home and 62% reported having heard family planning messages on the radio. 63% said that they did not know how to read and only 15% reported having read family planning messages. 35% reported watching television regularly and 18% reported having been exposed to family planning messages on television. 90% reported having traveled in the previous month to other towns or cities but only 7% reported having traveled in the past month to Mexico City. 34% of the sample indicated that they knew of at least 1 family planning method and 13% indicated that they knew how to use at least 1 method. 79% reported having never used any family planning method. The more the respondent reported about being exposed to radio the more he/she knew about family planning and practiced it and the fewer children she/he had. The greater the respondents reported exposure to print media the more positive was his/her attitude towards family planning and the fewer children she/he reported having. The more a person traveled to Mexico City the more likely he/she was to report practicing family planning regardless of age sex or socioeconomic status.