Women at the helm: The time is long overdue
After Move Forward defied every major poll with its surprising triumph in the May 14 general elections, the party’s deputy leader, Sirikanya Tansakul, is being considered to be a likely candidate for finance minister.
If she gets the post, she will become Thailand's first woman to hold it.
Still, women are far outnumbered by men in government.
Thailand’s first woman MP was elected in 1949, 17 years after the country switched from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
However, it took almost four more decades for a woman to become a minister.
Supattra Massadit was appointed Minister of the Prime Minister's Office in 1988. She kept the post till 1990.
The Prime Minister's Office has been the most open to appointing female ministers.
The ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and even Justice have yet to have even one.
These four powerful ministries are laggards.
Global inertia
Some countries have quotas for women in parliament, but in Thailand there is only a speck of encouragement. Section 90 of the Constitution mandates that political parties take gender equality into consideration when choosing candidates to run as MPs.
Still, the dominance men wield over political systems is not confined to Thailand.
The global average of women in national parliaments is merely 26.8%, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
With this disrespectful figure in mind, The Nation tallied the number of women ministers in the past three governments under three very different prime ministers: Abhisit Vejjajiva (2008-11), Yingluck Shinawatra (2011-14), and Prayut Chan-o-cha government (2014-23).
PM Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government (2008-11): three women ministers
1. Ranongrak Suwanchawee (Minister of Information and Communications Technology)
2. Kalaya Sophonpanich (Science and Technology)
3. Pornthiwa Nakasai (Commerce)
PM Yingluck Shinawatra government (2011-14): five women ministers
1. Sukumol Kunplome (Culture)
2. Krisna Seehalak (Prime Minister's Office)
3. Nalinee Taveesin (Prime Minister's Office)
4. Sansanee Nakpong (Prime Minister's Office)
5. Paweena Hongsakul (Social Development and Human Security)
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha government (2014-23):
1. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul (Tourism and Sports)
2. Atchaka Sibunruang (Industry and Science and Technology)
3. Apiradi Tantraporn (Commerce)
4. Trinuch Thienthong (Education)
