Understanding women in local politics : studies of women politicians in Krabi Province Thailand
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2009
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2552
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eng
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xi, 401 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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National Institute of Development Administration. Library and Information Center
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Pimrumpai Panvichatikul (2009). Understanding women in local politics : studies of women politicians in Krabi Province Thailand. Retrieved from: http://repository.nida.ac.th/handle/662723737/892.
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Understanding women in local politics : studies of women politicians in Krabi Province Thailand
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Abstract
In Thailand, women have become more and more active in various modern sectors ranging from academics to businesses. However, it is obvious that their presence in politics have been marginal. The number of female politicians was even lower in local governments than at the national levels. In order to understand why such a disparity in men’s and women’s political participation at the local level exists, there is a need for holistic inquiry and a cross fertilization of ideas. This dissertation, therefore, provided an in-depth understanding of local women politicians—who they are, what their leadership roles in local government are, and how their services in the offices represent women voices in the communities, amidst the socio-political factors in local context. The researcher selected Krabi, a province in Southern part of Thailand, as the area of this study and used qualitative means—focus group and case studies, in addressing the interweaving and interpretative natures of this research inquiry. The key findings of this study revealed that women politicians are groomed and socialized by their social and cultural setting. Since childhood, girls and boys alike experience politics not only directly, but also indirectly. Besides the political activities that they observed or took part in, a feeling for politics could also be developed through power relationships within the family, community, and society in which their development took place. As with a person’s political socialization, gender perceptions towards men and women’s rightful place in society are also learned and become ingrained, forming an integral part of their mindset. Women are taught what constitutes a woman’s place through their parents teaching, as well as through the responsibilities assigned to them. It has been illustrated in the study that a feeling of self-reliance, self-worth and thus self-esteem, constitute the strongest driving force for women to enter politics and to make a difference. Many women politicians began to be interested in politics because they felt that the existing distribution of public resources was unjust. Consequently, the women saw entering politics as a channel to attain the necessary legitimacy to do what they deemed right. Nonetheless, because the existing political structure was predetermined by men, women as newcomers face a number of personal challenges (family problems, livelihood problems, lack of education or lack of experience), as well as social challenges (social values regarding the gender roles of men and women, local expectations regarding women leaders). Finally, they face formidable political challenges once they had decided to take part in politics the problem with entry into politics, marginalization or threats from male politicians, or the fight against corruption. Meanwhile, external factors, such as the expectations of the locals towards the political status and political roles of a female politician, unquestionably shape, influence, and reinforce a woman’s political means and goals. As long as villagers still view women politicians with the same attitudes, women politicians will be expected to carry on the same political role, in the same gender-biased way. The study, therefore, recommends that supporting organizations, both the government and the NGOs, should take into account the socio-political context of the grassroots in developing their campaigns and programs. Training and development should not aim only to support women political aspirers, but also to instill democratic values in the villagers. This is because democratic values constitute the most important means for neutralizing inequality between sex, bigotry, or even limitations placed on women in developing to their full potential because of gender discrimination.
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Thesis (Ph.D. (Development Administration))--National Institute of Development Administration, 2009