The Effectiveness of Implementing Women’s Development Fund Policy to improve the quality of life of Women in Sisatchanalai District, Sukhothai Province

Abstract

          The objectives of this study were to (1) examine the effectiveness of the implementation of the Women’s Development Fund policy, (2) investigate factors affecting the effectiveness of this policy implementation, and (3) propose guidelines for effective policy implementation. A mixed-methods research approach was employed. For the quantitative component, questionnaires were administered to a sample of 313 members of the Women’s Development Fund in Si Satchanalai District. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. For the qualitative component, content analysis was conducted based on interviews with seven key informants, including the District Community Development Officer, the Head of the Driving Committee, and Community Development Workers.

           The research findings indicated that the overall effectiveness of the implementation of the Women’s Development Fund policy in improving the quality of life of women in Si Satchanalai District, Sukhothai Province, was at a high level ( = 3.60). When considered by aspect, the legal and cultural aspect had the highest mean score, followed respectively by the political and participation aspect, and the economic and social aspect, Regarding factors affecting the effectiveness of policy implementation, seven factors namely policy, public relations, leadership, attitude, management, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation were found to have strong positive correlations with policy implementation effectiveness at the .01 level of statistical significance. The guidelines for policy implementation to improve women’s quality of life across three dimensions are as follows: (1) Economic and social dimension: Establish mentoring mechanisms and enhance human capital skills; (2) Political and participation dimension: Create spaces for expression and draw lessons from female role models; and (3) Legal and cultural dimension: Promote gender diversity and transform cultural attitudes.