Background, Motivation, and Role of Local Female Politicians in Buriram Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) study the background motivation and role of local female politicians in Buriram province; 2) study problems and obstacles for women in taking political roles; and 3) propose guidelines for the development of administrative roles of female politicians. The data was obtained from in-depth interviews of 11 local female politicians in Buriram province. The findings included as follows: In relation to the first objective as stated above, i.e. the background motivation and roles of local female politicians, six motivating and supporting factors were found; (1) family, (2) socio-economic status, (3) work performance, (4) politicians and interest group, (5) community people, and (6) one’s own interest. The outstanding roles of these local female politicians in community development were also found in relation to two aspects, namely the development of quality of life, and the preservation of environment and natural resources. Moreover, the female politicians were also found to have outstanding personal characteristics in terms of their manners and human relationships. With respect to the second objective of this study as previously outlined, i.e. problems and obstacles for women taking political roles, there were five aspects considered: (1) physiological femininity, (2) duty bound to family (3) political rivals, (4) leadership styles, and (5) cultural values and society. For the third objective, guidelines for the development of roles of local female politicians, it can be concluded that female politicians should take into account eight functions for consideration; (1) having enthusiasm in roles and readiness for the roles, (2) creating a good image for oneself, (3) developing one's own capacity, (4) campaigning for more influential roles for females in politics, (5) changing opinion concerning values relating to females in politics in order to promote public acceptance, (6) using femininity to gain an advantage in administrative work, (7) accepting other people's opinions and providing opportunity for public participation, and (8) getting involved in activities with both in individuals and community-related matters.