Chapter I

Problem and its Settings

Title : The Dilemma’s of Lupe: Seaman’s Wife

Introduction

Being a seafarer is such a lonely profession. This implies if your perception towards the career is forlorn. The seafarer’s are finding recreations for them to surpass the loneliness they feel while they are onboard. They find ways to entertain themselves. How about the families they left home? Their wives, who handle their families while they are onboard?

There are several descriptions of being a seafarer’s wife. According to Lloyds List Tribute, when they unveil the seafarer’s wives monument in Greece, “The face of the seafarer’s wife reveals courage, fortitude and determination, all of which she will need in the long months ahead, when no news will come of the success or otherwise of the voyage”. This is one of the descriptions that reflect the factual attitude of a seafarer’s wife.

On contrary, there is this Filipino film that uncovers the bad side of a seafarer’s wife, being unfaithful. Because of the loneliness and seclusions they feel, they are tempted to become unfaithful. There is another article which was published in a local newspaper where in a seaman’s wife and her lover was caught by her husband and charged by the authorities (Cebu Daily News/Wife,lover charged). This is a dreadful situation for the seafarer who’s working hard abroad without knowing that his wife is spending his money with a lover.

By this description and stories, some seafarers are not that confident about their wives. They are becoming doubtful if their spouses can abide their role as a wife, as a faithful wife. That is the main purpose of this case study. The researchers would like to know something about the wives of the seafarers, their feelings, their problems, their defences in the ‘unfaithful situation’, their lifestyles and their strategies in handling their families. Can they make it even without their husbands?

Theoretical Background

The researchers found one related study conducted by the students of University of Cebu- Maritime Education and Training Center. Their case study was a partial requirement for their research subject and it was entitled, “The Loneliness of the Spouses of the Seafarers Working Abroad” which focused on the feelings of the spouses when their husbands were onboard. After their enormous effort to complete their research, they concluded that from their findings, being away from their husbands was the reason why their respondents suffer loneliness. Another reason why the spouses suffered loneliness was because they were always thinking of their husbands safety. They would only have a relief after knowing that their husbands were all right. To cope up with the loneliness, they recommended that the wives must attend or participate in the programs/activities of their husbands manning agency/company like tree planting, parties and out-of-town vacations. The researchers also found this internet article (My Life at Sea.blogspot.com) on how seafarer’s wife misses her husband. How she misses waking up with her husband on her side, how she misses his kisses, their exchanging of I love yous and many more. That article can awake the minds of seafarers who are having an intuition that their wives are being unfaithful to them or vice versa.

Statement of the problem:

The purpose of this study is to determine the different dilemmas of being a

seafarer’s wife. Specifically, the study attempts to answer the following questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a seaman’s wife?

2. What are their strategies in handling their families when their husbands are

onboard?

2.1. Are they contented with their monthly allotment?

3. How do they overcome the loneliness they feel if their husbands are away?

4. What are the lifestyles of being a spouse of an officer and a rating?

5. What are the reasons why some seafarer’s wife plunged in being unfaithful to

their husbands?

Significance of the Study

This case study will help the seafarers understand more the lives of their wives while they are working onboard. They can get justifications in some of the common problems between their families, their moneys and their relationship with their children. This will also help other seaman’s wife to realize that they are not the only ones who’re tormenting this kind of problem. Lastly, the researchers wanted this study to become an eye-opener to all the cadets who will come onboard and soon will also have their own families.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

DESIGN

This research is a case study of the life of the seafarer’s wife. The researchers will probe the experiences, problems et al. of a wife who is left alone to raise a family without their husband who is away onboard who carries a seafaring profession.

ENVIRONMENT

The researchers will conduct their study from the city of Valenzuela, the northernmost city in Metro Manila and towns of Liloan and Minglanilla in Cebu which is a province situated in the heart of Visayas. These places are some of the major sources of seafarers in the country.

RESPONDENTS

The researchers will use three respondents. Two of which are wives of officers onboard while the other one is a wife of a radio operator on Japanese vessels. Wife A is married for 17 years and they have 3 children. Wife B is a first time mom and married for 4 years. Wife C has 3 children and has been married for 30 years now. They will be provided with a questionnaire for them to fill up. They will also seat for an interview for the researchers to know their lifestyles as a seaman’s wife.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

The researchers will use different research instrument like observation checklists, questionnaires and long probing interviews. The observation checklist serves as a guide for the researchers on how to observe their respondents while having the interview. They need to observe the respondents body language, et al. The questionnaire contains queries on how they handle their families, their stand in being unfaithful to their husbands and other issues that are connected with their lives as a seaman’s wife. The interviews aimed to know more about their life as a wife away from their husbands. These research instruments will definitely help the researchers to come up with this case study.

PROCEDURE

The researchers will thoroughly prepare their research instruments. They will divide the task assignments and the expenses that they will spend in performing the task. The researchers will inform their respondents about their case study, “The different dilemmas of being a seafarer’s wife” and ask for their cooperation in answering the questionnaire and responding on their interviews. They will also set the dates of interview according to the respondent’s availability. After this data gathering, they will analyse and interpret the data they collected.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The study will focus on the wives of the seafarers. The researchers will find out if the spouses are able to do the role of being a good wife, their different strategies in handling their family solely, the advantages and disadvantages of being a seafarer’s wife and their ways on how to overcome their loneliness while their husbands are away. One convolution that the researchers met is that of having limited respondents for the reason that this is a case study which focuses on a restricted number of people involved. After the researchers deliberation who will be these wives, they come up with three respondents. These respondents are selected because of their time of availability, their willingness to share their experiences, the places where they live (which are quite close where we live in) et.al,. Another limitation of this study is that the output of the respondent depends on how they understand and answer the questions.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Dilemma- a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives; a difficult situation or problem

2. Allotment- an amount of something allotted

3. Allotee- person who receives the allotment

4. Loneliness- is an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation