Gender Inequality in Political Participation: Focusing on Social Structure, Legal Instrument, and Social and Cultural Change Authors

Abstract

The transition of Thailand's political system from absolute monarchy to parliamentary constitutional monarchy in 1932 brought about opportunity in developing democratic society in this country. However, 90 years after the political transition Thailand is still struggling to pursue democratic stability while the degree of authoritarianism is very high due to several political, economic, and social factors. This circumstance raises concerns on the democratic development in this country. This paper is written based on Westminster Foundation for Democracy (Thailand)’s preliminary report on situation analysis of gender equality for the female and other genders who are the candidates, and potential candidates to run for the house of representative of Thailand. The author of this paper was the head of research team and was the sole writer of the report. The research assumed that to nurture a democratic society, the gender-based equality in political participation is needed.