The Global Gender Gap Report 2024, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), benchmarks gender parity across 146 economies and shows that the global gender gap has closed by 68.5%. However, at the current rate, full gender parity remains 134 years away.
In this report, Thailand ranks 65th, lagging behind the Philippines (25th) and Singapore (48th). This may surprise many Thais who believe the country has achieved gender equality. How can a nation that has had two female prime ministers and recently celebrated marriage equality still experience a gender gap?
According to the Bureau of Registration Administration, as of February, Thailand's population stood at 65.9 million, comprising 51.3% women and 48.7% men. This is partly due to women's longer life expectancy -- 80 years compared to 71.9 years for men. However, longevity does not necessarily equate to a better quality of life. Many women face financial insecurity in old age due to lower lifetime earnings. Over the past decade, the labour force participation rate of women in Thailand has remained around 60%, while that of men has never fallen below 75%. Some men in the working age population (15-60 years) are absent from the labour market due to monkhood or military service -- options generally unavailable to women. So, what factors prevent over one-third of working-age women from participating in the labour market?
One key factor is care responsibility, which disproportionately falls on women. In Thailand, women are the primary caregivers for children, the elderly, and disabled family members. Their prime career-building years often coincide with the final stage of fertility and their parents' deteriorating health status, forcing many to choose between professional advancement and family responsibilities.
Another barrier is the challenges women face in the business world. According to the Labour Force Survey done by the National Statistical Office (2024), only 26% of Thailand's 929,700 employers are women. While there are no sex-disaggregated databases of businesses, it is estimated that the majority of micro and small-sized enterprises are owned or led by women. Their common obstacles to growth include limited access to financial services, caregiving responsibilities, and workplace discrimination.
Projections indicate that attaining gender equality, as part of the global effort under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), across various economic dimensions could boost global gross domestic product (GDP) up to US $28 trillion (945.8 trillion baht). OECD research (2010) found that, on average, women allocate 90% of their income to household expenses, education, healthcare, and income-generating activities. Women entrepreneurs also hire women, creating a multiplier effect that benefits society.
One way to bridge the gender gap in economic participation is through gender-responsive procurement (GRP) in both public and private sectors. GRP is procurement that promotes gender equality by public sector bodies purchasing works, supplies, or services. This means that buyers and suppliers look at the impact of all of the contracted activities related to women's and men's interests and concerns and design and deliver contracts in a way that reduces gender inequalities. Procurement provides market access, financial stability, and growth opportunities for businesses. However, according to UN Women (2022), only 1% of global public and private procurement spending is awarded to women-owned businesses (WOBs), despite women owning one in three businesses worldwide.
GRP is a key strategy for increasing the participation of WOBs and gender-responsive enterprises (GREs) -- businesses that employ a higher-than-average proportion of women -- in procurement processes. GRP promotes policies and practices that support gender equity, such as setting quotas or incentives for WOB/GRE participation, offering training and mentorship programs, and ensuring transparency in procurement processes. These efforts align with supplier diversity initiatives, which not only enhance social equity but also boost market competitiveness by fostering innovation, reducing supplier dependency risks, and strengthening supply chain resilience.
Several countries have already adopted GRP. Vietnam offers preferential bidding treatment to construction service providers employing at least 25% female workers. South Korea's Act on Support for Female-Owned Businesses has mandated since 2017 that at least 5% of successful public procurement bidders be women-owned businesses. In 2022, the Philippines formally defined "women-owned businesses" to promote their inclusion in procurement opportunities.
Thailand has the opportunity to follow suit by implementing gender-responsive procurement policies. Such initiatives will not only bridge gender disparities but also contribute to broader economic growth and societal well-being. The Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion recently introduced the definition of WOB. The next step is to apply this definition to develop a sex-disaggregated database to identify WOBs. This will enable more targeted promotional measures, increase WOB participation, and contribute to inclusive economic growth in Thailand.
Boonwara Sumano, PhD, is a senior research fellow at the Thailand Development Research Institute.