New York Times weighs in on changing role of Thai women

By Shane Danaher

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

BANGKOK: -- Earlier this week, the New York Times ran a story about changing attitudes toward women in Southeast Asia, using Thailand’s own Yingluck Shinawatra as a frame for the debate.

The piece posited that Yingluck’s role as the country’s first female prime minister shed light on the region’s conflicted attitudes toward female empowerment.

While acknowledging that Yingluck’s tenure presents opportunities for a shift in attitudes toward women, the Grey Lady tempered this optimism by acknowledging that her accession “fits into an Asian tradition of the wives, sisters or daughters of powerful men becoming political leaders after the men are forced from office, assassinated or die of natural causes, as has also happened in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Full story: http://www.coconutsb...-of-thai-women/

-- COCONUTS Bangkok 2012-11-08

Women as "Political Sock Puppets" - I guess that is a new role...

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by somtumlion

Considering she was chosen for purely reasons of expediency and nepotism, the fact that she is a woman us largely irrelevant.

They took ONE woman (and by all means THAT woman) as an example for the change in role of ALL the women in Thailand?

Dreamers!

Considering she was chosen for purely reasons of expediency and nepotism, the fact that she is a woman us largely irrelevant.

My thoughts exactly, as the quote from the OP shows....

“fits into an Asian tradition of the wives, sisters or daughters of powerful men becoming political leaders after the men are forced from office, assassinated or die of natural causes, as has also happened in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka."

Women as "Political Sock Puppets" - I guess that is a new role...

Not really, every president, prime minister male or female of any country is like a puppet that have their advisors and told what to say. Running a country is far to bigger job for just 1 person to make all the decisions.

Setting aside the politics and Yingluck, women in Thailand are becoming far more independent and financially secure.

There's a new generation of professional and career women that are choosing to live their own lives their own way, and ignore "village" and family pressures.

Good on them I say.

Changing roles of women from subservient wives and daughters cooking cleaning and providing "pleasure" to men, to subservient sexual things giving "pleasure" to tourists, to subservient political shadows of their male "advisers". Changing roles indeed.

Women as "Political Sock Puppets" - I guess that is a new role...

Well said. Did the NYT writer even bother reading up on the negative and positive of her before writing this?

Why does "equality" for women always refer to jobs that are in the top echelons? Why not try and have more women driving taxis, delivering gas, on the fishing boats, and working (not just helping out) on the farms? There's a lot more jobs in those areas than in boardrooms. And conversely, get more men into teaching, nursing and welfare roles. True equality should mean largely inter-changeable roles regardless of gender - across all social strata. I sometimes suspect that feminism - from the focus on elite areas only accessible to hi-so women - is more about enhancing already formidable control, and not about equality for all women and men across all social strata.

Several recent studies have shown that Thailand has the highest percentage of female managers, CEOs & business owners. Here is one recent graph:

And here's one showing the percentage of women on Company Boards:

I didn't read the full article quoted in the OP. Did they mention that the US & UK have about considerably lower percentages of women managers, CEOs & business owners than Thailand?

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by otherstuff1957

Changing roles of women from subservient wives and daughters cooking cleaning and providing "pleasure" to men, to subservient sexual things giving "pleasure" to tourists, to subservient political shadows of their male "advisers". Changing roles indeed.

Such a narrow view of Thailand eh?

The NYT just ain't what it used to be.

Q: Why did you put your wet shoes on today's NYT?

A: Because these are the Times that dried men's soles.

(Apologies to Edwin Newman)

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by noahvail

Has anyone noticed women like to take the ancient role and get a nice sinsod for mum but then enjoy playing with their phone instead of fulfilling their side of the deal and sweeping the floor, washing the bathroom etc.

Obviously I speak about one. Is she unique?

I have to pay yet I still have to do!

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by cheeryble

Women as "Political Sock Puppets" - I guess that is a new role...

No, not new at all, the NYT wrote, "fits into an Asian tradition of the wives, sisters or daughters of powerful men becoming political leaders after the men are forced from office, assassinated or die of natural causes, as has also happened in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka."

What would be new is you actually reading a news article.

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by chiangmaikelly

Has anyone noticed women like to take the ancient role and get a nice sinsod for mum but then enjoy playing with their phone instead of fulfilling their side of the deal and sweeping the floor, washing the bathroom etc.

Obviously I speak about one. Is she unique?

I have to pay yet I still have to do!

No I have not noticed that it must me just you.

Several recent studies have shown that Thailand has the highest percentage of female managers, CEOs & business owners. Here is one recent graph:

And here's one showing the percentage of women on Company Boards:

I didn't read the full article quoted in the OP. Did they mention that the US & UK have about considerably lower percentages of women managers, CEOs & business owners than Thailand?

I don't think that's allowed is it?

Can some one please send a massive salvo to the NYT,... that's the last thing we need,.. the thin end of the wedge of the feminazi take over!

Thailand thankfully is for the most part still one country in the world where women are still women and are in touch with their own femininity which they haven't traded off for the usurping of typical male dominions and in favor of deserting fundamental committments to family and children!

Soon we'll have the shopping malls full of frumpy fat and saggy arsed "females" walking around in their terry towelling tracksuits and overly permed hair-dos' if we dont remain diligent and discourage this kind of nonsense!

Certainly "blind Freddy" can see the Thai PM is a sad excuse of a person been put into power through a criminal and is simply doing his bidding. Then to recognise this as some sort of accolade? The New York Times is a gutter rag and is obviously being fed by someone like Robert Armstrong trying to create the spin, Yingluck is on control. But again, Thaksin is paying - absolutely no doubt.

Certainly "blind Freddy" can see the Thai PM is a sad excuse of a person been put into power through a criminal and is simply doing his bidding. Then to recognise this as some sort of accolade? The New York Times is a gutter rag and is obviously being fed by someone like Robert Armstrong trying to create the spin, Yingluck is on control. But again, Thaksin is paying - absolutely no doubt.

The New York Times (NYT) is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 108 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other news organization.

You are obviously a very well informed poster.

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by chiangmaikelly

The NYT just ain't what it used to be.

Q: Why did you put your wet shoes on today's NYT?

A: Because these are the Times that dried men's soles.

(Apologies to Edwin Newman)

Setting aside the politics and Yingluck, women in Thailand are becoming far more independent and financially secure.

There's a new generation of professional and career women that are choosing to live their own lives their own way, and ignore "village" and family pressures.

Good on them I say.

I think this is true of most places in the world, even in some of the more enlightened muslim nations.

But in Asia politically women are there because they're there and they just happen to be female..... continuing as the figurehead in an often corrupt regime.

Before we get to happy, look up Word Economy " The gender gap", hich on a yearly bassis track the equality of men and woman.

In 2006 Thailand was listed at number 40, after the new constitution thailand dropped to 76 place, biggest drop in equality in any state.

If there had been full equality between men and woman in Thailand, Thaksin could not have been judged, his 2 years sentence, came becourse he signed for his wife ( no wife can do anything economical without the writen permission of her husbond.

This is the sad reality.

s3it

Women and power!! Whatever they say about Yingluck she could never take over from the "Iron Lady" but much better looking ....maybe the "Grey Lady" should change to a hello magazine type rag!

I have traveled over most of the world for a number of years and I have concluded that the relationship between men and women is exactly the same in all countries and cultures. The only thing that differs is the degree to which the men have figured this out. By that measure Thailand is fairly advanced. Even though men predominate at the positions of power, everyone knows that it is the women who are really running the show.

I have traveled over most of the world for a number of years and I have concluded that the relationship between men and women is exactly the same in all countries and cultures. The only thing that differs is the degree to which the men have figured this out. By that measure Thailand is fairly advanced. Even though men predominate at the positions of power, everyone knows that it is the women who are really running the show.

If men predominate at the positions of power how did we get a female PM?

I have traveled over most of the world for a number of years and I have concluded that the relationship between men and women is exactly the same in all countries and cultures. The only thing that differs is the degree to which the men have figured this out. By that measure Thailand is fairly advanced. Even though men predominate at the positions of power, everyone knows that it is the women who are really running the show.

If men predominate at the positions of power how did we get a female PM?

Maybe her older brother

I have traveled over most of the world for a number of years and I have concluded that the relationship between men and women is exactly the same in all countries and cultures. The only thing that differs is the degree to which the men have figured this out. By that measure Thailand is fairly advanced. Even though men predominate at the positions of power, everyone knows that it is the women who are really running the show.

If men predominate at the positions of power how did we get a female PM?

Nepotism?

I have traveled over most of the world for a number of years and I have concluded that the relationship between men and women is exactly the same in all countries and cultures. The only thing that differs is the degree to which the men have figured this out. By that measure Thailand is fairly advanced. Even though men predominate at the positions of power, everyone knows that it is the women who are really running the show.

If men predominate at the positions of power how did we get a female PM?

Maybe her older brother

Well ya but if you read the post I was responding to the poster said the women are not in the positions of authority but exercise all the power. Well in Yingluck's case she is in a a position of power and exercises that power.

Soi Dog was wrong there are many women in positions of power and have authority in many governments around the World.

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by MrRed