Women in Thailand
A female nurse in Thailand
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| Gender Inequality Index | |
|---|---|
| Value | 0.360 (2012) |
| Rank | 66th |
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 48 (2010) |
| Women in parliament | 15.7% (2012) |
| Females over 25 with secondary education | 29.0% (2010) |
| Women in labour force | 63.8% (2011) |
| Global Gender Gap Index | |
| Value | 0.6928 (2013) |
| Rank | 65th out of 144 |
Women in Thailand were among the first women in Asia who were granted the right to vote in 1932. They are underrepresented in Thai politics.Yingluck Shinawatra, a woman, was prime minister from 2011 to 2014. The roles of women in Thailand's national development has not yet been fully established. Factors that affect women's participation in the socio-economic field include "inadequate gender awareness in the policy and planning process" and social stereotyping.
Despite of the absence of legal limitations to women participating in the politic arena of Thailand, the factors that have impeded the rise of women in political activities include structural barriers, cultural impediments, lower educational attainments, lower socio-economic status, and power-sharing issues with the opposite sex. It was only on June 5, 1949 that Orapin Chaiyakan became the first Thai woman to be elected to hold a post in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Thailand. First Women Army Officer Lt.Col.Thita Manitkul (2001-2005)
In the realm of entrepreneurship, Thailand's female population comprised 47% of the country’s workforce, which makes up the highest percentage of working women in the region of the Asia-Pacific. However, these women are also confronted by hiring discrimination and gender inequality in relation to wages because of being "concentrated in lower-paying jobs".
According to the National Statistical Office of Thailand, female Thais marry at an earlier age than male Thais, and that 24% of Thai households have women identified as "heads of households". In 2007, The New York Times reported that after the Vietnam War, Thailand became a "rest and recreation" and sex tourism destination for male foreigners, resulting in some marriages with Thai women. Among those who establish such marriages are men from Europe and the United States seeking companionship and economic relief, particularly during retirement. Thai women, on the other hand, enter into the marriages in order to redeem themselves from their former life as prostitutes, from abandonment by former partners, and as an escape from "poverty and unhappiness". Certainly, not all Thai women who entered into this type of marriage were former prostitutes.
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