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The Condition of Thai Women
Rosalyn Carter Family Center in Bangkok Thai women were among the first women in any Southeast Asian society to receive the right to vote. In 1949, Thailand elected its first female member of parliament. As of 1995, there are more female members of Parliament than at any time in history, with a total of 24 out of 391 members. Yet, in Thai society, a woman's primary means of making merit and assuring a better rebirth comes through the birthing of a son and the son's choice to enter the monkhood, even for a short period, . Girl children have no similar path to security or success. Unlike their male counterparts who have access to free education, basic sustenance and transportation within the Sangha, girls have no opportunity to increase their status and to make merit, other than to engage in business, drug use and prostitution. The other primary means for women to make merit is through income production. Thai women work. There have been some moves to introduce paternity leave for fathers in Thailand but it is believed that such a move would simply provide more vacation for the men, as the men are not the ones who are known for their strong work ethic. Women have been and continue to be the primary labor force within Thailand. Nearly 45% of all women work in Thailand, making it among the highest percentage of women workers in Southeast Asia. Yet women continue to be paid less, to be more susceptible to abuse, to have little or no reproductive freedom, and little if no esteemed access to positions of religious authority. Common Thai traditions indicate something of women's value in society. On New Year's for instance, a woman is to genuflect with flowers and incense before her husband and beg his forgiveness. On a regular basis, she is to go to bed after her husband, sleep on his left side, and rise before the husband. The husband is to eat first. Most of the common rules that apply to male female relationships in Thailand are based on 18th-19th century codes of conduct, which viewed the wife as the property of the husband. Many of the roles for women have been influenced by Brahmanical codes which restrict women to domestic life, deny them access to education and subordinate them to male authority and power. (Kabilsingh, 1991) According to the current constitution, equality between the sexes is mandated "except where laws otherwise so stipulate." (Klausner, 1997) Under current law, women take their husband's names upon marriage and change their title to Mrs. while the man remains Mr. On marriage toa foreign souse, the woman loses her right to buy land and a foreign female spouse must wait five years to have her nationality transferred, but only 1 ½ years if she's pregnant. Adultery is grounds for divorce only for husbands. Rape is defined as forceable sexual intercourse with a woman who is not a wife. Abortion is available only for health reasons or for girls under the age of thirteen as a result of sex without consent. Pre and extra marital sex is accepted among males but not for females. It is a common rite of passage for a young boy entering high school to go to a brothel to have sex with a prostitute. This has resulted in a high number of men who are infected by HIV and who return home to give it to their newly wed wives. Because girls can only repay their debts with cash and not through making merit, child labor and prostitution become lucrative fields for young women. Though recent laws punish parents with fines and imprisonment, most parents know that their draughts are engaging in prostitution as they bring home unusual amounts of wealth. Whole villages know the families who have children as prostitutes because they usually have the nicest houses in the village. Many people believe that the plight of women in Thailand would be helped if women could have the same legal access to religious education as do males and to ordination as well. Kanittha Wichienchaeoen, a feminist lawyer, proposed a bill in August of 1996 that would give legal recognition to nuns as Buddhist clerics so they could receive the same educational and other state benefits. Women, both secular and religious, come together with Kanittha at the Association for the Promotion of the Status of women to work on issues related to women. There, thanks to Jimmy and Rosyln Carter, they operate a parenting and child care facility for single mothers, a hospice unit for women with HIV/AIDS, a guest house (WE-TRAIN) that gives education in the hospitality industry for women, and a Mae Chi Institute that just opened the first university for Mae Chi. 
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