Gender Parties in Thailand, political parties contributes in subordination of women in the workplace especially in politics.

1. Gendered Parties:
Making the Male Norm Visible in Thai Politics

2. THAILAND

3. THAI POLITICS

4. MILITARY DOMINANCE DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL COMPETITION

5. POLITICAL
HISTORY
Peoples Party overthrows Absolute Monarchy 1932
Power struggles amongst Royalists, Nationalists and the Left 1930's/40's
Sarit coup leads to 16 years of military dictatorship 1957
Mass uprising against the military 1973
Bloody crack-down against the Left intensifies rural struggle by
Communists
1976
Collapse of the Communist Party and return to democracy mid 1980's
Military junta overthrows the elected government of Chatchai 1991
Mass uprising against the military junta
• Resurgence of strikes and rural protests
1992
The Asian financial crash and economic crisis originated in
Thailand in the summer of
1997
The first permanent People's Constitution of Thailand was
proclaimed on 11th October
1997

6. POLITICAL
HISTORY
Newly established Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) won its first
general election
• Thaksin wages "war on drugs" and instigates massacre at Takbai
• TRT introduces the universal health care scheme and village funds
2001
Thaksin's led Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) the second and landslide election
victory
2005

7. POLITICAL
HISTORY
18th Military Coup, headed by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin
early
2006
The TRT won 16 million votes in April election boycotted by the
opposition and finally annulled by the courts
2006
The 19th September bloodless military coup topples Thaksin and his
government
• The 1997 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand abrogated
• The TRT – Thailand's largest political party outlawed
• The TRT executives banned from contesting in the elections for five
years
2006

8. POLITICAL
HISTORY
Thai Rak Thai was banned in Thai Politics 2007
New Constitution was drafted then passed during democratic
elections

9. Type of government: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary
form of government
Head of government: Prime Minister

10. POLITICAL PARTIES

11. The most important gatekeepers with regard to improved
representation of excluded and disadvantaged groups
 They are center of linkage politics – vital connection between
state authority and society (linking structure government to other
social groupings)

12. THAI POLITICAL PARTIES (Coalition)
Pheu Thai Party (For Thais Party; occupies 265 out of 500 seats)
Chartthaipattana Party (Thai Nation Development Party; 19 seats)
Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party(National Development Party for the
Homeland; 7 seats)
Phalang Chon Party (7 seats)
Mahanchon Party Great People's Party; 1 seat)
New Democracy Party (1 seat)

13. THAI POLITICAL PARTIES (Opposition)
Democrat Party (occupies 159 out of 500 seats)
Bhumjaithai Party (Proud Thais Party; 34 seats)
Rak Thailand Party (Love Thailand Party, 4 seats)
Matumbhum Party (Motherland Party; 2 seats)
Rak Santi Party (1 seat)

14. MANIFESTATION OF MALE NORM
Formal Party Structure
Informal party structure

15. FORMAL PARTY STRUCTURE:
-Discrimination against women occurs in the political parties
rather than in electorate.
-Thai Parliamentary Election of 2005
Candidacy

16. Representatives and
candidates by gender
in the constituency-
based election system
Seats won by party and gender in constituency system
Candidates Representative
F M %men F M %men
Chart Thai 22 237 91.5 2 16 88
Democrats 39 351 90.0 6 64 91.4
TRT 47 353 88.3 38 272 87.7
Mahanchon 26 275 91.4 1 1 50.0
Other Parties 46 287 86.2 0 0 0
Total 180 1503 89.3 47 353 88.3
N 1683 400

17. FORMAL PARTY STRUCTURE:
-Majoritarian System- emphasis is on putting forward one strong
candidate who can attract as many voters as possible
Election System
-Proportional Systems – tend to focus on the party as a whole rather than
on an individual candidate

18. Women
representatives by
party and election
system
Seats won by party and by gender
Constituency Party List
F M %men F M %men
Chart Thai 2 16 88.9 7 100
Democrats 6 64 91.4 1 25 96.2
TRT 38 272 87.7 5 62 92.5
Mahanchon 1 1 50.0
Total 47 353 88.3 6 94 94.0
N 400 100

19. Representatives and
candidates by gender
in the party list
system
Candidates Representative
F M %men F M %men
Chart Thai 13 87 87.0 7 100
Democrats 13 87 87.0 1 25 96.2
TRT 7 93 93.0 5 62 92.5
Mahanchon 11 89 89.0
Other
Parties
52 130 71.0
Total 96 486 83.5 6 94 94.0

20. FORMAL PARTY STRUCTURE:
-Incumbent representatives stand much greater chance of
being re-selected by the party.
-Thai Rak Case
Incumbency

21. In 2005, out of 400 constituency representatives elected,
70% (290 people) were incumbents
22% (65 people) had switched parties
91% of the winning incumbents were male

22. FORMAL PARTY STRUCTURE:
Dispersing of Power/ Formalization
-Chances of inclusion of groups
- Greater inclusion in formalized procedure
- Weak and easily manipulated in Informal-localized
systems

23. INFORMAL PARTY STRUCTURE:
Closed Male Networks
-It is often a hidden prerequisite to be male in order to
become part of networks and alliances formed between individuals
to protect the power of the organization

24. INFORMAL PARTY STRUCTURE:
Homo- Social Reproduction
- People with the power to recruit new members to the
organization are likely to perceive men with similar characteristics to
themselves as more competent and reliable than others