Postnuptial Residence As An Expression of Social Change in Nang Rong, Thailland
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Although Thailand is often described as having a "loosely structured" family system, there is evidence of distinct patterns of exogamy and matrilocality, specifically uxorilocality (Ngamchalermsak 1995). Research in the 1980s found a surprising amount of variation, however, explaining the variation in behavior as a result of "lucrilocality,” where partners’ postnuptial residence decision depended on comparative resource advantages between husband and wife’s parents’ homes and villages. Our analysis takes up the challenges proffered by the 1980s research to examine marriage exogamy and locality with recently available data from a rural district in northeastern Thailand. Using a complete census of people from each of 51 villages for 1994, we match couples and compare their residence patterns while they were growing up and after they are married. We link postnuptial residence patterns with data about village land resources and value, distribution of land, and an individualís age to test the lucrilocality hypothesis.
RPRT
Working Paper No. 2000-2
Curran, Sara R.
Entwisle, Barbara
Jampaklay, Aree
2000
32
Office of Population Research, Princeton University
1599