Shattering ceilings: Paetongtarn’s cabinet marks new era for women in Thai politics
Thailand’s current government, led by its second female PM, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is setting new records by boasting the highest representation of women in the country’s history.
Paetongtarn’s Cabinet line-up, which received royal endorsement last week, features no less than seven women. This means nearly one in four Cabinet members are female.
Women in power
Among the new faces in Paetongtarn’s Cabinet are Theerarat Samrejvanich and Sabeeda Thaised, both serving as deputy interior ministers.
Five other female Cabinet members have held ministerial portfolios before. They are Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat, Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri, PM’s Office Minister Jiraporn Sindhuprai, Culture Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, and Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi.
Theerarat, Jiraporn, Manaporn, and Sudawan are members of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, Narumon is from the Klatham Party, and Sabeeda and Supamas are Bhumjaithai Party members.
Focus on newcomers
Paetongtarn, daughter of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and niece of Thailand’s first female PM Yingluck Shinawatra, has never held a Cabinet seat before. But despite her absence of ministerial experience, the 38-year-old was propelled into the post of prime minister by her political lineage and party’s popularity.
The mother of two earned a bachelor’s in political science from Chulalongkorn University before studying international hotel management in the UK and taking up an executive post in her family’s hospitality business.
Ranking among Thailand’s richest women, Paetongtarn entered politics in 2021 when she was appointed head of Pheu Thai’s Inclusion and Innovation Advisory Committee.
She rose through the ranks to become one of the party’s three prime ministerial candidates at the 2023 election.
Theerarat, another notable newcomer from Pheu Thai, caught the party’s attention at the election when she emerged as the sole Pheu Thai candidate to win in Bangkok, which was otherwise dominated by Move Forward (since dissolved and reincarnated as the People’s Party).
Her successful political career also owes much to the strong support base built by her parents in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district. Her father is a former Bangkok councillor.
After graduating from Bangkok University, Theerarat furthered her studies in Australia where she earned a master’s degree in international business and a doctorate in transdisciplinary education.
She began her career in the Human Resources Department of Kasikorn Bank but just a year into the job accepted an invitation from Pheu Thai.
Sabeeda, 40, also comes from a political family, being the daughter of former deputy interior minister Chada Thaised and niece of former deputy agriculture and cooperatives minister Mananya Thaised.
She played an active part in her father’s team in his 12 months as deputy interior minister up to September 3 this year. Sabeeda has also long been active in the Thaised Foundation, chaired by her older sister, who is the mayor of Udon Thani Municipality.
Sabeeda completed a bachelor’s in law at Assumption University before furthering her legal studies in London. In 2022, she married in a lavish wedding ceremony in Samui.
Familiar faces
Jiraporn, despite being the youngest female Cabinet member at 37, is no stranger to ministerial roles. Appointed as PM’s Office Minister under former prime minister Srettha Thavisin, she retains her post in the new administration.
Manaporn, 59, also continues as deputy transport minister, while Supamas remains in charge of the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry.
Sudawan, 43, previously minister of tourism and sports, now heads the Culture Ministry.
Narumon, 50, having served as deputy labour minister under General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government, returns to the Cabinet as part of Thamanat Prompow’s faction.
Legacy of women in Thai politics
Thailand has seen strong female leadership in the past, with Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, now leader of Thai Sang Thai Party, among the most prominent examples.
Sudarat has held several Cabinet positions, including minister of public health, minister of agriculture and cooperatives and deputy interior minister – standing out as a pioneer in a male-dominated political landscape.
Unlike most female Cabinet members who have typically only ever held one ministerial post, Sudarat has distinguished herself as a trailblazer for women in Thai politics.