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4 - Women in the Thai Judiciary

Obstacles and Challenges*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2021

By
Sarah Bishop
Edited by
Melissa Crouch
Melissa Crouch
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Sydney
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Summary

On 1 October 2018, Ubonrat Luiwikkai became the first woman in Thailand to be appointed to the position of president of the Thai Court of Appeal. The position is the second most senior post within the Thai Courts of Justice hierarchy, and arguably within the Thai career judiciary. The appointment came seventy-eight years after the first Thai woman graduated with a legal degree and fifty-three years after the first Thai woman was admitted as a judge. Hopefully the appointment signals a new era in the opening up of the senior ranks of the Thai judiciary to women. Looking at statistics on women in the judiciary more broadly, however, signs are less promising. This chapter will trace developments which saw courts in Thailand move from prohibiting women from becoming judges to allowing women judges the appointment of Ubonrat. The chapter will look at trends in employment of women in the judiciary in Thailand more broadly, and will consider remaining obstacles to women’s progression in the judiciary.

Keywords

Thailandwomen judgescourtsfeminisationthe judiciarygender and the law
Type
Chapter
Information
Women and the Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific , pp. 109 - 148
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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