This piece was written as an entry for the Harvard GlobalWE Essay Competition 2024 with the prompt, "What is the biggest challenge facing women and girls in your country today?" and received the Certificate of Excellence as one of the 8 winners in Singapore.
"Worship your excellent husband
Treat him with what he likes
Wake up first, sleep later, look out for him
Prepare drinks readily for his thirst"
The quote is derived from one of the most famous Thai long poems, “Suphasit Sorn Ying” which can be directly translated to “Proverbs to Teach Women.” This piece has been published for around 200 years by the renowned writer, Sunthorn Phu. For me, what particularly caught my attention when I learned about this piece in Primary school was the irony of a male writing on how women should act. In addition, thinking about this poem again when I grew up makes me realize how patriarchy is deep-rooted in Thai society and countless gender norms and stereotypes have since been sowed and sprouted. Thus, Thai women suffer from trying to fit into these norms and depictions of them having to be reserved, loving and less. This essay will further explore how they are restricted in the borders drawn by men.
“Rak Nuan Sa Nguan Tua” is a Thai saying for one to be reserved and preserve her virginity. This creates a stigma around female sexuality and pleasure, labeling them as being taboo and lowly while men can freely and openly talk about the topic. As such, this often leads to an imbalance of power dynamic in the relationship between the partners. Many women view themselves as being inferior and having to follow their partner. They may not be able to negotiate the number of children they want and only have to agree to what their husband decides. Moreover, slut-shaming frequently occurs when Thai women do not conform to this stereotype, for example, when they wear exposing tops or short pants. Hence, this conventional norm of having to be pure dictates Thai women’s place in a relationship and how they dress.
From the past until now, Thai society seems to detest confident and fierce women since there is always this image of Thai women having to be mild and loving. This can be reflected in many Thai classic poetries and the norm continues to this day, resulting in Thai women being non-confrontational and people pleasers. Nevertheless, when they become fierce and stand up for themselves, society would call them out for being extreme feminists, blaming all their plights on men. A few years ago, Thai social media started discussing and raising awareness about sexual harassment. Many female victims shared their stories and expressed their resentment for men, creating multiple trends and hashtags. This would cause a lot of commotion as many Thai men tried to defend themselves and claimed that Thai women just hated men; even forming anti-feminist groups. Therefore, the stereotype of Thai women being warm and kind makes speaking up for themselves seem rude and demanding.
Furthermore, there is a Thai phrase that goes “Men are the front foot of the elephant; women are the back.” This quote encapsulates how Thai women have to be a follower; they have to be less or at least lesser than men. The norm would limit women’s work prospects and also restrict their choices in the labor market. Especially, in the political scene where women's representation is just not enough, being less than 20 percent in the parliament. The lack of women's representation would affect the passing of laws regarding issues specific to women. Women politicians are also being targeted and attacked for their trivial and personal things such as their relationship, rather than their working abilities. Some would also deem the women politicians’ argument as weak and not as important as the men politicians. Additionally, many Thai women are expected by their families and husbands to be housewives; staying at home, doing chores and taking care of their children. Thus, Thai women having to be “less” restricts their opportunities and undermines their potential.
All in all, the major issue facing Thai women is them having to conform to the traditional norms and stereotypes of being pure, accommodating and subservient which directly restricts their personality, potential and position in the country. Personally, I believe that our society has already come very far from the start but we still have a long way to go in ensuring that all women have a place in our community and that they are not limited within the line that goes back centuries. Sure, all the teachings from traditional poetries may not disappear overnight however as a society, Thais can slowly but surely rewrite them and make Thailand a place for all genders.
(749 words)
Comments