The latest report by #ท้องถิ่นสร้างสื่อสอบ (media investigations of local creations) “Women in politics: overcoming gender myths to create space for women in the North” by Kamonchanok Ruenkam, examines the representations and realities of women in Thailand’s northern region.  Often depicted as gentle and subservient, they are no less active in politics and society than men. What can we conclude from the number of women who march into parliament after the elections in Chiang Mai and the other northern provinces?

Northern women are often portrayed as idyllic housewife material for patriarchal men - subservient, delicate, beautiful.  The stereotype appears in literature and songs.  It is also promoted by the powerful, particularly those with interests in the local tourism and commercial sex industries, both of which make use of women as raw material.

Of course, northern women are much more than this. In politics and society, they are every bit as active as men.  The gender stereotype remains, however. Is it an obstacle? Can it ever be overcome?

The fantasies of Lanna girls

Stereotypical northern ladies - sweet, gentle and beautiful (Photo from Phayao Provincial Administrative Organisation)

According to Pattarat Phantprasit, a researcher from the Science Technology and Innovation Policy Institute (STIPI) at King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), the sexual mythification of Northern women dates back to at least the reign of King Rama V. When Bangkok took political control of Lanna, the prevailing view was that local women were not up to capital standards. In the literary classic, Khun Chang Khun Phaen, for example, “Soifa”, the daughter of Chiang Mai’s ruler, was depicted as moody and unladylike - unsuitable for marriage.

When Princess Dara Rasmi, the daughter Chiang Mai’s King Inthawichayanon, was sent to Bangkok to serve as a consort to King Chulalongkorn, her Thai palace counterparts referred to her as Lao, a derisive term at the time. Using traditional folk dancing and beautiful costumes, she gradually cultivated a better image for her Northern sisters, however.

This latter representation still features on tourism posters at present. Now, though, it used to promote and sell the Northern culture and beauty. According to Pattarat, it has also been used to situate Northern and Northeast women in the commercial sex industry.

A 2002 study by Kittiya Moonsarn notes that prevailing stereotypes of Northern women are of comparatively recent vintage, having been shaped by new modes of communication.  In entertainment media, for example, women from the north are often depicted as passive sexual objects.  This is true not just of female leads in old TV series and but also of the parts played by women in more recent movies like “Sao Kruea Fa” and “Wang Buaban.”

Women can be at the frontline, can't they?

Pakawadee Weerapaspong

Today, women across the world are seeking equality - in politics, in economic settings, and in society.  As competent as men, they still face many obstacles, especially in Northern Thailand.  The region has a long history of fighting for human rights and women remain at the forefront of the struggle.

According to Pakawadee Weerapaspong, a writer and translator, with patriarchy still the order of the day and only a few local female leaders to serve as examples, women’s rights activists often face resistance, even from family members who often do not support their activities and pressure them to not participate.

“Although more women than ever are involved in social processes, there are still fewer female leaders than male ones. Many organisations remain patriarchal, and female activists still face sexual harassment.”

Kanokphorn Janploy, the coordinator of Prachatham Media Foundation, sees it a bit differently. She feels that some women prefer to work from behind the scenes where they perform important jobs as well.

“Being a woman isn’t a big problem, but social participation has limits.  Working with the team and supporting others is whatI prefer,” Kanokphorn said.

She acknowledges that women with families and responsibilities at home are obliged to prioritise their time and personal safety.

“We have to … if we’re not safe, how can we look after the people at home?” she said.

Centralisation and its discontents

Nattamon Saphaokham, co-founder of Sapphic Pride and feminism researcher (Photo from Young Pride Club)

Asked to discuss how position of women in the northern region has changed over time, Nattamon Saphaokham, co-founder of Sapphic Pride and a researcher on feminism, explained that in the past, local women played important roles in traditional cultural activities and rituals such as ghost worship and seance ceremonies.

With the growth of a national economy, many later left home to work in exchange for income to support families.  A growing number were also contracted into “emotional labour” - service work requiring charm and a gentle character.

State effort to promote a centralised national culture in the mid-20th century also impacted women’s roles in upcountry areas.   Beauty pageants popularised top-down standards of feminine beauty and state representations of idyllic family life reinforced the notion of patriarchy.

In the process, traditional female roles were lost. According to Nattamon, spiritual activities were undermined by the spread of scientific thinking. Modern management techniques also reduced the role of women roles in social activities.

Although contemporary understandings of gender diversity have given women more opportunities to participate in social activities, Nattamon still feels that women in Thailand have yet to overcome state-backed gender bias and sexual discrimination.

She believes that in the future, the social position of women will improve with rising education levels and as women make inroads into new areas of employment. In the meantime, she suggests that they take steps to improve their standings through the establishment of women’s centres, housewife groups and childcare facilities.  The goal is to promote inner power and strengthen self-confidence by sharing problems and carrying out activities for the benefit of the community.

Political space of Northern women

In Thailand’s Northern region, female candidates have long served as decorations for elections dominated by men. A 2020 study by Warunee Hengsabfound that in 2011, a total of 44 women applied to run in the 2011 provincial elections in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phrae and Phayao -  21.67% of the total number of candidates. Only 7 were elected. In 2019, the number of female applicants had risen 228 people but only 3 became members of parliament.

Then, in the 2023 general election, many people in the upper Northern region voted for female candidates.  In Chiang Mai, for example, 5 out of 10 constituencies went to females - the highest number since 1933.

Move Forward Party’s Phuthita Chaianun, who ran in Chiang Mai’s 4^th constituency, received the most votes of any MFP candidate. She also received the most votes of any female  candidate in any party.  In a 3 June 2023 seminar ‘Send women power MPs to parliament’ at Book Re:public in Chiang Mai, she noted that the biggest challenge for women in politics was gender bias; in parliament, female MPs were often not taken seriously by their male counterparts.  She added that being a mother was another issue but stressed that it was possible to be a good MP and good mother too.

Her hope is that having more female MPs in parliament will help the public to better understand maternity and motherhood. She feel that the country should use a quota system to increase female participation and push forward policies on gender diversity.

The idea that a quota is necessary to increase the proportion of females to males in parliamentreturns us to the question of why Northern women have so little political space at present and what might be impeding their progress.

Pattarat Phantprasit

Pattarat feels that to answer the question, one needs to consider the historical relationship of Northern women in central politics. From the days of Dara Rasmi onward, they have had to fit in both “Lanna” and “Bangkok.”  This includes such figures as former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Srinuan Boonlue, a former Chiang Mai MP.  On the national political stage, they appeared in traditional dress and spoke the dialect of the North.

According to Pattarat, Yingluck period did mark an important change in Thai politics, however: as PM, she brought femininity into a patriarchal landscape, a revolutionary break from the past when women in politics tried to blend in with men.

Her tenure in office was still plagued by stereotypically representations of northern women.  Among other things, her manner of speaking was ridiculed and her sexuality was called into question.

As was her competence as a women. According to Pattarat, media representations made this worse by reinforcing a perception that women from upcountry were less capable than their Bangkok counterparts.

She feels that things were different in the May 2023 election.  Instead of focussing on Northern women - the faces and ethnic backgrounds of candidates - people were looking more at ideas and policies. But she also knows that things can change, that “in Thai society when a conflict happens … prejudices resurface.”

That’s why she thinks it is important to focus on the achievements of women in politics and promote female diversity in the political landscape without letting gender myths influence public criticism.