george Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Ms? Mrs? now legally a matter a choice in ThailandBANGKOK: -- 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..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Ms? Mrs? now legally a matter a choice in ThailandBANGKOK: -- 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..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 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!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAWP Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 So the question comes...why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravelrash Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun Jean Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 It is to erase ones history and if i judge by the reactions of my female family members a very popular one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bino Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llso Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAWP Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefferson Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun Jean Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 (edited) 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, 2008 by Khun Jean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozsamurai Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAWP Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 So instead of allowing people to choose, reduce the prefix to one for woman too. Anything else is borderline fraud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plus Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAWP Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Every one is equal, some more than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustaphaMond Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustaphaMond Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 (edited) 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, 2008 by MustaphaMond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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