Intra-household Exchange Relations: Explanations for Gender Differentials in Education and Migration Outcomes in Thailand

This study is an analysis of the simultaneous choices of education and migration for young adults in a rural Thai setting. The primary foucs is upon the role of both gender and sibling oder as they characterize the most important elements of intra-household relations in this context. The study develops a theoretical perspective about exchange relations and the risk environment surrounding decision making to describe the dynamics of internal household relations and to predict education and migration outcomes. Results show that one of the sources of the paradox of women's status in Thailand is the exchange relations between daughter's and parents as they are conditioned by the risks to farming and labor.