Women's power matters less than their will
For better or worse, as Thailand welcomes the first female prime minister, the Kingdom is flooded with the urge to boost the role of women in Thai society.
As the world marked the International Women’s Day on March 8, a group of female workers were seen in front of the United Nations Conference Centre. One of their demands was a national holiday for women on the day. It’s a big question if women enjoy an extra holiday on the day, how men at their work places would do if some work must be done by female colleagues.
When it comes to women in Thailand, the hottest issue now should be the women development fund. Indeed, I was surprised with the government’s speed in implementing this scheme, just days after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra revealed her wish. It’s not surprising why some women organisations said that the plan came from thin air, without any groups involved in the planning. Poor planning can guarantee one thing – a wasteful spending of the Bt7.7 billion fund.
Intending to provide financial supports to women, the scheme takes off at a wrong start when women today are given equal rights as men to obtain loans from financial institutions, as long as they comply with criteria. For cheap funding, they could also go to Government Savings Bank. Some villages also have village banks, where all villagers – male or female – can obtain loans with their deposits as the collateral. With unclear objectives and obscure operation plan, big doubts remain where the fund will fit into the picture.
On March 8, Grant Thornton International also revealed the result of survey of women holding senior management titles. It found that the ratio in Thailand dropped sharply from over 40 per cent to about 35 per cent over a year. There was no explanation for this, but the survey showed the ratio continually increased in Europe as the governments are pushing this as national agenda for a better gender balance.
Indeed, Yuwadee Chirathivat, chief of Central Department Store who was named by Forbes as one of 50 most influential women in Asia, mentioned that female executives have to work harder than men, given that they have to maintain several status at a time – a boss, a wife, and a mother.
Hmm, then, how Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher managed to stay in power while maintaining her status as mother and wife? Thatcher is remembered because of her toughness, all that with strong support from her family. It seems women can be anything, with supports from their families. The problem is the prospect is mired by the long-standing perception in Thai society that brands women as “Chang Thao Lang” or someone who have to walk behind their husbands.
Is it time that we change the perception? That could be hard in society flooded with inequality like Thailand, which requires solutions to other problems before gender balance. In an interview with Wandee Khunchornyakong,
chairman and CEO of SPCG which is developing 34 solar farms, she mentioned the need to improve the quality of life of workers and villagers near the farms. Certainly, that can be done without having to meddle with the issue of gender. Matter-of-factly, Wandee has proved that without supports, she could do better than many other men, as a pioneer in solar power generating to push Thailand towards a green country status.
Indeed, if “Chang Thao Lang” perception is handled correctly, more women in Thai society may enjoy more power in decision-making process and suffer less from domestic violence. In the career world, women and men are alike. Not all want to climb the career ladder as long as they can live a happy life, which cannot be guaranteed by career advancement. More women leaders also do not guarantee all good policies.
I guess what matters more is the perception to treat others equally, no matter of sex or other discriminatory issues. This can come true only when we have to the will to do good deeds to others. As a start, how about handing awards to the wives who defy their husbands’ brutal control on the next International Women’s Day?
RELATED