Having a baby doesn't mean you can't be in politics

Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra gave birth to a baby boy on May 1st, a happy piece of news amidst the intense campaigning ahead of the long-awaited general election on May 14th.

While the news of the new arrival was greeted with congratulatory messages, some also questioned whether she would be able to lead the country while having to take care of her newborn son, if she gets elected. One of the netizens went as far as telling her to become a stay-at-home mother instead and leave leading the country to men.

Is it fair, however, to judge Paetongtarn, or anyone’s ability to lead, because they just gave birth?

Being the PM and pregnant

Women being pregnant while in office is still very rare in politics, especially when female representation in the Thai parliament is still relatively low.

The world has, so far, only seen two female premiers who were pregnant while in office; former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.

Jacinda Ardern gave birth to her daughter in June 2018, after being in office as the youngest female prime minister in New Zealand since October 2017.

“I am not the first woman to multitask. I am not the first woman to work and have a baby.”

When she announced her pregnancy on Twitter, stating that she will become both a mother and the nation’s leader, Ardern faced countless questions about her capabilities in leading the country while entering motherhood.

“It is totally unacceptable in 2017 to say that women should have to answer that question in the workplace,” Ardern fired back during a television interview, when she was asked whether it was acceptable for a prime minister to take maternity leave while in office.

“It is a woman’s decision about when they choose to have children and it should not predetermine whether or not they are given a job or have job opportunities.”

The then-New Zealand leader took six weeks of maternity leave and eventually returned to the top job, while her husband became a stay-at-home father; the inverse of society’s expected gender roles within a family. This should be enough to prove that women do not have to sacrifice anything, whether it’s their own family or their career.

Way before that, Benazir Bhutto, the very first female leader of Pakistan, became the first world leader to become pregnant while in office. Bhutto gave birth to her daughter in January 1990 during her first term as prime minister, which had begun in 1988.

Bhutto’s statement was published in the UK’s Independent Newspaper, which explained how she quickly returned to her prime ministerial job the next day, reading and signing government files, only to find out that she became the ‘only head of government in recorded history’ to give birth while in office.

“It was a defining moment, especially for young women, proving that a woman could work and have a baby in the highest and most challenging leadership positions.”

Despite coming from two completely different worlds, what Ardern and Bhutto both experienced was getting through the skepticism as to whether they could be truly devoted to serving the nation as prime minister while raising children.

So, if Paetongtarn does get elected as the next prime minister of Thailand, why can’t she undertake the responsibilities of both childcare and political leadership, when we already have two notable examples of women who successfully led their respective countries even as mothers?

A “perfect” housewife?

Because of the gender roles outlined by the patriarchy, women have always been told to take full responsibility for raising their children, taking care of the household chores and to leave all the breadwinner responsibilities to their husbands. In other words, women are expected to give up everything to become a full-time mother and wife.

This was especially true in the old days, when Thai women are often groomed to become a Mae-Sri-Ruen (แม่ศรีเรือน), a “perfect” housewife, who excels in cooking, embroidery and pampering their husbands.

This is a clear reflection of Thai cultural values which uphold the same gender roles, where men would be described as the elephant’s forelegs, while women will be the elephant’s hind legs. It reflects how a woman’s worth is determined only by their ability of being a Mae-Sri-Ruen, including how women should be loyal to their husbands and must behave humbly and sweetly, which are all considered appealing to men.

Though such social norms have been changing over the decades, with women entering the workforce and becoming leaders, such gender roles are still ingrained in many people’s ways of thinking.

Outgoing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was once criticised for his statement about the roles of women, even if he seemed to praise women for having to bear “heavy” responsibilities; being a wife, a mother and earning income for their family. Netizens criticised him for not knowing that women can do much more than being a housewife; women can be whoever they want to be and can play tremendous roles as leaders in any sector.

There’s another challenge, however, that is still facing women in this modern era – the “double burden”.

Many working women, particularly those who become mothers, have to juggle homecare and their careers, while men were never taught to share the household responsibilities with their wives.

Women are still confronted by questions over their abilities, such as “How can you get pregnant and become a CEO at the same time?”, “Who’s cooking for your husband and your children when you’re at work?” or “How come you’re back to work when you just gave birth to your child?”

These gender micro–aggressions reflect how society still expects women to fulfill all the housewife’s duties and still believes that women cannot be a mother and be successful at work.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the history of pregnant prime ministers

Let her choose for herself

So, do women really have to sacrifice their career, their dreams or their futures because they gave birth to their children? Of course not.

In the case of Paetongtarn, putting political dynasties aside, if she does get elected prime minister, she still deserves a chance to lead the country as well as being an effective mother to her own children. If she doesn’t get elected and faces a choice between becoming a full-time mother or juggling political work and homecare, we should let her choose the best course for herself.

At the end of the day, Paetongtarn is just like any mother who has to raise their family while having to work. Therefore, we should empathise with them for the responsibilities they bear and honour these women who have demonstrated their ability to fulfill their careers and raise their own children at the same time.

If female leaders can empathise with their citizens, their families, their children and vulnerable groups of people when the country is in crisis, we should all be supportive and give these female leaders the same empathy.

Ultimately, all mothers deserve huge credit for what they do for their children and their whole family.

By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World