ABSTRACT
Women in Thailand have played an important role in contributing to the growth of the Thai economy. In a recent international study on women’s empowerment across fifty-eight countries, Thailand ranked first in terms of economic participation but lagged behind with respect to gender equality (World Economic Forum, 2005). Despite women’s high level of economic participation, women are less visible in the upper echelons of organisations. The findings suggest that women lack the opportunities to advance their careers. It has been assumed that intense economic growth over the previous two decades, legislative reforms and the influence of international organisations in promoting gender equality issues would create greater employment opportunities for women and remove the barriers to their career advancement. However, a review of official statistics indicates that women remain under-represented in management positions in both the private and public sectors. The obstacles to women’s career advancement include not only discriminatory organisational practices (Col, Meksawan and Sopchokchai, 2001) but also cultural norms and social attitudes towards women (United Nations Development Programme, 2006a), which have not changed in pace with the legislative reforms.
