How Thai “feminist” law students are challenging the patriarchy and cultural norms

[webfact]

 

By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World

 

“Feminism is demanding equal rights for all genders. Everyone can become a feminist, regardless of our gender. We don’t have to believe or fight in the same way, but we can fight in different ways. As long as our aim is to demand equality, anyone can become a feminist.”

 

This is Napatchanok Insawang’s definition of feminism, as a third-year law student of Thammasat University and president of the Thammasat Law School Feminist Club, a community which advocates for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

 

Student feminism movement

 

Thammasat Law School Feminist Club, which is mainly comprised of law students from all year groups, with current third-year students being committee members, was formed after they held a Clubhouse discussion last year, to exchange their views on sexual harassment.

 

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“At first we held a Clubhouse discussion, because we want people within the Faculty of Law to talk about the problems they have encountered with harassment,” Miranda Payungwattana, the vice-president of the feminist club explained.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/how-thai-feminist-law-students-are-challenging-the-patriarchy-and-cultural-norms/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-04-09

 

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[FriendlyFarang]

Is demanding compulsory conscription for women on their agenda? Or do they just want the positives, but not the negatives, as most feminists?

[TooMuchTime]

stunning and brave

[Will B Good]

7 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Is demanding compulsory conscription for women on their agenda? Or do they just want the positives, but not the negatives, as most feminists?

Sounding like an incel.......you need to get with the program.

[mtls2005]

6 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Is demanding compulsory conscription for women on their agenda?

Interesting the first response went there?

 

Women in the military have long fought for equal rights especially with regards to front-line deployments, and combat duty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Will B Good]

6 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Interesting the first response went there?

 

Women in the military have long fought for equal rights especially with regards to front-line deployments, and combat duty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are much more polite than me.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Is demanding compulsory conscription for women on their agenda? Or do they just want the positives, but not the negatives, as most feminists?

I was initially sceptical also.  I recommend watching the video and reading the article.  Whilst there are some potentially problematic terms creeping in from Western feminism, it's clear that there are some real and serious issues facing women in Thailand.

[spidermike007]

Equality is a good thing. And so is the ability to rally against harassment. But, I seriously doubt most Thai women will embrace Western style uber feminism and "me too". Thankfully. It is the equivalent of toxic femininity, and it often amounts to the total denial of femininity, which most Thai women embody and wear very well, and consider to be of great value. 

 

And they are spot on with that! 

[connda]

Stop procreating.  That will solve the problems.

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Equality is a good thing. And so is the ability to rally against harassment. But, I seriously doubt most Thai women will embrace Western style uber feminism and "me too". Thankfully. It is the equivalent of toxic femininity, and it often amounts to the total denial of femininity, which most Thai women embody and wear very well, and consider to be of great value. 

 

So the ability to rally against harassment is not about "me too"?

[Pedrogaz]

About time too. If I were to set up a business here I would hire only women. The men are so <deleted> stupid and self importance whereas the women and girls just get on with the job....and no way on earth would I have a competent woman report to any man. Just go to a supermarket and see how fast the payment lines move with women vs men who dither and move like they are working in molasses.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Interesting the first response went there?

 

Women in the military have long fought for equal rights especially with regards to front-line deployments, and combat duty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years ago in England the feminists got their retirement age raised form 60-65 in line with the men..

they didn't see that coming.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, placeholder said:

So the ability to rally against harassment is not about "me too"?

"Me too" started as that, but it certainly didn't end that way.

[BangkokReady]

38 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Years ago in England the feminists got their retirement age raised form 60-65 in line with the men..

they didn't see that coming.

Not only that, but I believe they were pretty vocal in their complaints.

[zzaa09]

Well......these young ladies will have somewhat of an advantage in their pursuit, as the Thai society is matriarchal in it's underlying dominance [even matrilineal in many instances]. Having the upper hand by these social/familial extensions should be a plus. 

 

The surface patriarchy that most speak and are conscious of is part and parcel of the show. 

Best to them.

[pedro01]

The patriarchy does not exist.

 

So I predict a win for team XX.

[placeholder]

5 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Well......these young ladies will have somewhat of an advantage in their pursuit, as the Thai society is matriarchal in it's underlying dominance [even matrilineal in many instances]. Having the upper hand by these social/familial extensions should be a plus. 

 

The surface patriarchy that most speak and are conscious of is part and parcel of the show. 

Best to them.

Gibberish. In matters like this follow the money. 

[RafPinto]

Equal rights.

I want to be a massagist and provide female happy hour massages.

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Equal rights.

I want to be a massagist and provide female happy hour massages.

I want to marry a woman and live off her the rest of my life, and have a free house.

[RafPinto]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I want to marry a woman and live off her the rest of my life, and have a free house.

I can do this.

You pay off your house, give your wife some cash.
Move out and I move in.
Win win.

[BusyB]

8 hours ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Is demanding compulsory conscription for women on their agenda? Or do they just want the positives, but not the negatives, as most feminists?

I'd bet money that if asked they'd want an end to ALL conscription.

[bangon04]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Years ago in England the feminists got their retirement age raised form 60-65 in line with the men..

they didn't see that coming.

Average life expectancy figures suggest it should be later for women......

[kingstonkid]

I have to love this being a little on the older side I can remember when feminism and we want to be treated like men started.

 

Question 1:  Who makes you wear makeup.  Men or women

Question 2:  If you do not want people to notice you why do you dress up in clothes that accentuate your looks?  Question 2a. Why not dress like guys with baggie shirts and pants.

Question 3:  Why is it ok for you to talk about he is fat or he is ugly or to rate guys but you are saying that Guys should not do that.

Question 4:  why are Thai girls so wrapped up in their soaps and flaunt their beauty to get ahead.

 

I agree that there are parts of Thai society that probably need to change especially in the workforce. BUT the instances of my father will not let me wear revealing clothes when I go out.  Has nothing to do with Thai society.  If our daughters were going out on a date or just going out and too much skin was showing in the west it would be most mothers that would go not so fast lady.

 

Getting rid of Pronouns is a slippery slope.  Just look at the U.S. where people are afraid to even say what a woman is and now the feminism movement is being supplanted byt the Genderbending movement.

 

I would  that most of these girls are probably form HISO or wannabe hiso families.  They are looking for a way to g et attention not to the feminism movement but planning for their careers after they graduate. 

 

Name me a country in the west that does not use she and he.   (California is not a country yet)

 

 

 

[LaosLover]

I have donated to Cabbages and Condoms over the years. They help ex bargirls train for tourism jobs.

 

Lovely restaurants, the one off of Suk is in the top 5 Thai restaurants in Bangkok. The ones in Jomptien and Chiang Rai are more hit and miss.

 

The founder, Meechai, was a monk who wore a giant condom outfit in the sex districts during the aids crisis. He said, "If people are laughing at you, they're listening to you". Such a Thai attitude.

 

A sex worker researcher told me that what sex workers need more than anything else is lube, to save on the old wear and tear. At the most fundamental level -friction- Thai society has failed Thai women.

[spidermike007]

7 hours ago, placeholder said:

So the ability to rally against harassment is not about "me too"?

It is, one some level. But, "me too" has become such an extreme movement in the US, that there is barely any black and white left. It seems to be all grey. When Minnie Driver said George Bush Sr. patting a woman on the rump was tantamount to rape, well there was a moment of, "has this gone too far"? 

 

Some of it is good for women. Some of it is causing many to further lose their identity, and to prize their most valuable asset as women. Their femininity. 

[RocketDog]

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I want to marry a woman and live off her the rest of my life, and have a free house.

Wait, wait. I thought you had achieved that goal already.

Greedy much?

[Mayhem11]

One of the myriad of problems for Thai women is the patriarchy of misogyny of white ancient Ferang.

[kingstonkid]

20 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

About time too. If I were to set up a business here I would hire only women. The men are so <deleted> stupid and self importance whereas the women and girls just get on with the job....and no way on earth would I have a competent woman report to any man. Just go to a supermarket and see how fast the payment lines move with women vs men who dither and move like they are working in molasses.

I sometimes think that the ideal employee would be a ladyboy.  There are a lot of them out there that have the smarts and you get both parts of the world LOL.

 

As to hiring women I agree that they work harder than most  men but again I worry about the downside which is the fact that they seem more worried about looks and being pretty.  With feminism you also get the I am a woman you have to hire me or I will sue.

 

[howlee101]

On 4/9/2022 at 10:19 AM, mtls2005 said:

Interesting the first response went there?

 

Women in the military have long fought for equal rights especially with regards to front-line deployments, and combat duty.

As a retired US military member, I agree with your comment "women in the military...", to a point. Those women you speak of voluntarily joined their respective branch and has nothing to do with the commenter's "compulsory conscription" post.  

[pedro01]

Lol