Ms? Mrs? now legally a matter a choice in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Thai women are free and legally qualified to refer to themselves and be addressed by others, as Ms. or Mrs., regardless of whether or not they are married or divorced.

Under a brand-new law effective from Wednesday -- under the terms of which all Thai women may be either Ms. or Mrs. as they choose, no matter if they are married or divorced.

The Administration Department, accordingly, will put on record either single title of married or divorced women as freely chosen and notified.

However, procedures and laws involving alimony paid to divorced women by their former husbands, and the surnames of children born to married couples as well as other legal obligations remain unchanged. Married couples are legally regarded as one under existing laws.

-- TNA 2008-06-03

Ms? Mrs? now legally a matter a choice in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Thai women are free and legally qualified to refer to themselves and be addressed by others, as Ms. or Mrs., regardless of whether or not they are married or divorced.

Under a brand-new law effective from Wednesday -- under the terms of which all Thai women may be either Ms. or Mrs. as they choose, no matter if they are married or divorced.

The Administration Department, accordingly, will put on record either single title of married or divorced women as freely chosen and notified.

However, procedures and laws involving alimony paid to divorced women by their former husbands, and the surnames of children born to married couples as well as other legal obligations remain unchanged. Married couples are legally regarded as one under existing laws.

-- TNA 2008-06-03

Even some boys can adress themself as Ms.....

Ms? Mrs? now legally a matter a choice in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Thai women are free and legally qualified to refer to themselves and be addressed by others, as Ms. or Mrs., regardless of whether or not they are married or divorced.

Under a brand-new law effective from Wednesday -- under the terms of which all Thai women may be either Ms. or Mrs. as they choose, no matter if they are married or divorced.

The Administration Department, accordingly, will put on record either single title of married or divorced women as freely chosen and notified.

However, procedures and laws involving alimony paid to divorced women by their former husbands, and the surnames of children born to married couples as well as other legal obligations remain unchanged. Married couples are legally regarded as one under existing laws.

-- TNA 2008-06-03

Even some boys can adress themself as Ms.....

It's nice to see the government is addressing some of the most pressing and important issues facing the country... I feel so much better now!!!!

It's nice to see the government is addressing some of the most pressing and important issues facing the country... I feel so much better now!!!!

But that law was made without bribe and corruption!

So the question comes...why?

Why would Thai women want to be referred to using an English prefix anyway? And even then why by using the terms incorrectly? This place is bizarre.

It is to erase ones history and if i judge by the reactions of my female family members a very popular one.

It is to erase ones history and if i judge by the reactions of my female family members a very popular one.

Popular with Ms. Bino too. She is divorced from a Thai husband, but even though she changed her name back to her maiden family name, she had to keep the Mrs. title. I never understood that.. why the govenment insisted that a divorced woman should be identified as a married one, and I just wrote it off to one of those TIT "eccentricities" of living in the LOS.

I've just showed her this thread, and she is going to go and find out about it ASAP!

I imagine that a lot of other women in Thailand who are in a similar situation will be pleased too.

Wen my wife and I got married they had just passed the law that a married woman could keep her family name. We thought that was a good idea for us as we were doing business at the time and noone would see a Farang name. All was well until we went to make her Visa to US. We had to change everything Passport, ID Card ,House registration from Ms. (Nong ) to Mrs. (Nong Sao)

Update:

Over 1,000 applicants apply for 'Miss' title as new law comes into affect

BANGKOK: -- The first day of a new law allowing women to remain “Miss” after marriage saw over 1,000 women applying for the title.

Bureau of Registration Administration Director Uaychai Innak said, following the Female Title Act 2008 which came into effect on Wednesday, over 1,000 women applied for the new entitlement of “Miss”.

Out of 852 women getting married on Wednesday across the nation, 341 women applied for the title of “Miss”. In other cases 657 women applied to change their “Mrs” title into “Miss”.

The new law has been welcomed with great enthusiasm as it gives more freedom to married women.

“I feel better with the title of “Miss”, especially when applying for jobs. Employers usually discriminate if we are married and burdened with children,” said Phufa Juiputtha.

--TNA 2008-06-05

Right..so it's not about getting a clean start from a run away husband [leaving you with a title implicating 'past use'], but to hide the fact that they are married at all.

Just like girls from a handful of special streets in Bangkok, hmm?

Good new law.

I like every law that gives people options/freedom in their personal life.

I'd have to check the original article in Thai to be sure, but from this it seems it's also possible for women to change their title to 'Mrs' (Naang) even though they're not legally married? (I appreciate most demand is for the other way around; divorcees wanting to become Naang-Saow again)

Employers usually discriminate if we are married and burdened with children,”

If problems like this can not be solved the way it should, then alternatives are a good second.

Basing your job on a lie because you would otherwise not be employed is the result.

Instead of making sure discrimination is fought the choice is to do nothing about that but enable people to official lie about their marital status. Next will be gender and age. Oops that already happens to, for a feww hundred baht you can change your name, age, gender and marital status.

I think a bit too much freedom as this is also happily being used by people with criminal intentions.

Edited June 5, 200818 yr by Khun Jean

This has been a bit of an issue for womens rights.

Nang (Mrs) is of course the equivalent of a married woman, it limitations are that it imposes many social/economic restrictions on those forced to use it. Employers would prefer to employ a Nang-sao (Miss) etc. because of possibly maternity leave issues and so forth. Of course the other stigma attached to being a Nang, is its more akin to 'old maid' and us women prefer it to be a choice, no matter what age, this carries true for the east or the west, where it has been a choice to use Ms or Mrs for some time.

NangSao Wasana

So instead of allowing people to choose, reduce the prefix to one for woman too.

Anything else is borderline fraud.

It gives women an option to signal their sexual availability.

They think it's liberating, on the other hand they still treat themselves as sexual objects with an available/unavailable tag attached.

Every one is equal, some more than others.

Uh , this headline is wrong, Ms. is not a choice in Thailand .

It's either " Miss " (unmarried, possibly a " virgin," hymen intact ) or " Mrs." (married already possessed, broken hymen ).

Either way -what a joke !!! This is equality???? Women are still having to declare publicly whether or not they are sexually available?

OK....

I propose men should have to have publicly broadcast titles based on genital flaps of skin, too ....whether or not they are circumcised, i.e., MrC. ( Cut ) or MrU. ( Uncut)

It gives women an option to signal their sexual availability.

They think it's liberating, on the other hand they still treat themselves as sexual objects with an available/unavailable tag attached.

Well, when the tag is mandated by law.....you have to be Miss or Mrs...and the availabilty title is changed for women only...it tends to reinforce women as sexual objects. This is called sexism.

Edited June 8, 200818 yr by MustaphaMond