The status of women in a society is deeply rooted upon culture, religious beliefs, traditions and economic
environments. Over time, factors mentioned above can change, although at different speeds. In the modern world of
globalization, economic environments tend to change more rapidly, and in order to survive or to function more
effectively, the roles of members in the society adjust along the acceptable limits allowed by cultural and religious
constraints. If the constraints impose serious obstacles for members to function effectively in new environments, the
constraints themselves can be modified, yet usually with a longer time lag. Thus, over time, the status of women
changes according to their new roles and functions in society.
Through an analysis and integration of existing data and studies, this paper documents Thailand’s demographic and
economic changes over three decades during 1960-1990 and makes an assessment of their implications on the status of
women in Thailand. There is no single consensus index to measure the status of women, but it is generally agreed that
the status of women directly corresponds to the degree of women’s autonomy, which can be defined as women’s ability
to manipulate their own personal environment. In assessing women’s status under this conceptual definition, the study
divides the life cycle into three phases, namely as children and youth, as adults, and as elders. It examines how women
are treated or how they can manage their living style through the analysis of changes in key variables which correspond
to each of the three phases. The key variables are education during childhood and youth; marriage and divorce,
fertility, and women’s economic activities during adulthood; and living arrangements and old age security during the
elderly stage.
The paper is divided into four sections. The first section lays out some conflicting evidence concerning the status of
women in Thailand. The second section gives a brief description of salient features of Thailand’s population and
economic changes. The third section examines some aspects of changes in the status of women in Thailand by
providing a conceptual framework on how the key variables are affected by economic and demographic changes, and
presenting empirical evidence on changes in the key variables, causes of change and their implications on women’s
status. Conclusions and issues of present concern are provided in the last section.