Last November I was delegate at the Asian Students' Association Conference on 'Women in the Third World' which was held in Chiengmai, Thailand. Here many active men and women from ten different countries in the Asian Region gathered to discuss many aspects of women's oppression.

Our overall task was to draw up a workable plan of action which could further the liberation of women in our respective situations.

All the reports clearly pointed to the fact that women in Asia are oppressed in all areas of life.

The Family

Men still possess strong power within the family. Their position is confirmed by law, giving them sole rights.

A woman is powerless to have a say in any divorce proceedings even if she has fifty witnesses proving that her husband has slept with other women. The fact that one's husband sleeps with many women is fairly well accepted practice. But if a woman dare take a lover she is out on the streets with no money or protection. Her children are taken away from her, and the community ignores her.

Economics of Work

Most women in Asia must work out of economic necessity. They have little choice as to the type of jobs they wish to take due to both high unemployment and poor education. The conditions under which they work are appalling, and their wages are much below that of men (in Thailand women earn about 16 baht a day - 90c NZ: whereas men would earn 20 baht a day - $1.00 NZ).

In the rural areas women must work in the fields, mind the children and do the domestic chores, but the money remains in the hands of the father. Many factories in Asia have adopted the policy of employing women and underaged girls in place of adult men as they can pay them lower wages.

Women also lend to be more submissive in their work situation, and their productive capacity is thus higher. There is no maternal leave and special care is not taken of pregnant women.

During times of economic recession, the older women and younger girls are disposed of. Women are thus exploited in work through unequal pay, appalling conditions, no job security and no avenues through which to voice their opinions.

Education - Propping the System

The compulsory period for education is very short in most Asian countries for both men and women. In Thailand most children should receive four years [unclear: commplsory] [unclear: free education].

In Hongkong the ratio of male to female of those women who did marry, most only wanted about two children, and many of the women did use some method of birth control.

Both girls and boys went to school so most of the younger age group could read and write. Girls were not encouraged to continue their schooling beyond about two or three years as they were needed to work in the fields. The boys usually finished the compulsory 4 years education and were encouraged to go to secondary school if their parents could afford it.

Due to the recent clash, however, women were beginning to stand up and be counted. They expressed their views when the decision to take action against the mine was decided upon and some even took up arms. But it was still the women who were responsible for going back to cook dinner and look after the children.

The men were beginning to realise that they needed the support of women and were looking to them for guidance even though women in Mae Liang were not recognised as being as capable as men in specific areas. The men couldn't understand any Western notion of equality between men and women because to them being a man is more prestigious than being a woman.

The women were slowly breaking out of their oppressed tradition. Obviously these men (and more importantly the women) have a hard fight ahead of them, but as they said 'We have justice and greater numbers on our side. We will eventually win.'

Factory Workers in Chains

The factories were depressing places. We saw cottage type industries, where even young girls aged 10 years were sitting and making umbrellas behind shops and on the side of the road. They worked at top speed with no rest and their financial return was laughable - 5 baht or 0.25c (NZ) per day.

Other women were carving or varnishing wood and embroidering dresses for about 16 baht - 90c NZ. This was a little over what it cost for a meal for a family per day.

The most miserable place was locally owned pottery factory in Chiengmai. Here both men and women were working in a dull dreary shed with little air and scarcely enough space to move around.

They worked 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. The factory had been going for 4 years and although the workers had been promised a holiday, they had not had one day off in 4 years.

When I asked a girl of about 16 years if she belonged to any union which could make the employer keep his contract, she abruptly replied that 'unions are just a waste of time - they do no good at all.' She was reluctant to expand on this, due possibly to the fact that if her employer found out that she was sympathetic to unions, she would be out on the streets.

Unions have therefore very little effect. Her wages were only 16 baht - 90c NZ - per day, and her job was making pottery mugs which were sold at about 100% mark-up in the tourist shop attached to the factory. She had may more years of this to look forward to. If she prostested alone she could do nothing.

It [unclear: appears] [unclear: then] [unclear: that] unite with men to change structures within their society which oppress the whole people.

[unclear: Student] [unclear: out] even at primary school, but once in [unclear: ondary] schools, the ratio drops [unclear: significant of] about 2:1.

Only if [unclear: as] wealthy parents can one afford [unclear: go to rsity] and even for some of the [unclear: women versity], jobs are difficult to find.

[unclear: Many however], who have had little [unclear: education] and find employment, are forced into [unclear: one of most] degrading and oppressive [unclear: profesionat of that] of being a prostitute. There [unclear: they are ed] as being sexual commodities. [unclear: for there] is no choice but to starve, or [unclear: ell these.] Even though in Japan, for [unclear: example] are laws prohibiting such [unclear: treatment of en], the economic situation does not [unclear: allow sclors] to be practiced.

[unclear: No on deny] therefore the oppressive [unclear: conution en] in Asia, even though men suffer [unclear: from lomic] exploitation, and are strangled [unclear: high ployment] and poor conditions, the [unclear: women] is worse.

[unclear: How he] conference unamimously agreed [unclear: that it was] men who were the main problem [unclear: out the y] which created such a disparity [unclear: between and] poor as to lead to the wealthy [unclear: sing i] to rip-off the poor, who are [unclear: themajorty].

[unclear: Women ist] therefore fight for national liberation men as well as organise themselves [unclear: or flight eir] own emancipation.

[unclear: The trungles] are so intertwined that one without the other, thus seeing [unclear: spects] of the same cause. It is struggle that women will assert [unclear: lly] as human beings, show their [unclear: uire] self confidence, gain respect [unclear: pate] themselves.

[unclear: Taking in Field Work]

[unclear: Two of the] the conference were devoted to [unclear: going] to women both in the villages [unclear: and in s] in order that we had a clearer [unclear: culture problems] facing women in their [unclear: every day] environment.

[unclear: There where] we stayed was called Mae had been a clash among the villagers [unclear: gov ent] officials over a tin mine which [unclear: beet up] four years ago.

[unclear: The it] from the mine had polluted the [unclear: rigated] the crops thus destroying [unclear: most of llage] crops. For 4 years the villagers [unclear: sent-tations] to the Government to close [unclear: own the.] Nothing was done so the [unclear: peants to] take things into their own hands [unclear: from mine] to be closed. Nine villagers [unclear: do one nt] died as a result of an armed [unclear: congas].

There was closed temporarily but the effect [unclear: its had e] village and particularly on the [unclear: arked].

[unclear: The women had] always worked hard from with the domestic chores, and then [unclear: fields] till the evening meal at [unclear: husbands] were in charge of the family done by men did not seem to be [unclear: rious] as that of the women.

[unclear: Women ok] no part in decision making on [unclear: family village] level except when it came to men were allowed to marry whom [unclear: of yhe neius]. They preferred [unclear: d] there didn't appear to be any [unclear: gainst] women who didn't marry.

The final and most important section of the conference was to decide how best to implement programmes which would facilitate the progress of women in improving their conditions.

We all saw the limitations of drawing out specific schedules as the conditions vary between countries. Our programmes were therefore general, hopefully not to the point of obscurity.

The main role of the delegates, it was decided, was to organise awareness compaigns throughout various sectors of the community. Through this many women and men would have a chance to share and discuss various conclusions and ideas brought up at the conference.

In doing this it was felt that delegates should prepare materials on the role and status of women in various Third World and Second World countries, and circulate them as widely as possible throughout the community.

It was also suggested that commissions in various student unions ought to be set up to coordinate activities and programmes aimed towards an economic understanding of women's low status through the formation of women's consciousness raising groups. It was stressed aIso that it was necessary to support other groups fighting for equal and full participation of women as an intergral part of the struggle for self reliance and self determination.

In each of the countries involved a woman was delegated the role of coordinating all such activities and keeping other women in the Asian region informed about success or otherwise of various programmes. In keeping up contact the feeling of a committed group behind the delegates strengthened them in their work.

Application to New Zealand

Many may question the validity of applying the philosophies of the women's conference to a Second World situation like New Zealand. In New Zealand we are in theory equal in family law, equal pay is being implemented (even though with little success) and the working conditions of women are obviously far better.

I believe that the same social structures causing the oppression of women in Asia oppress women in New Zealand, only here the effects are not so painfully obvious.

Many women's organisations tend to see the problem in relation to men's dominance only. They work through the recognised democratic channels to effect [unclear: change] not [unclear: seeing] my report and suggestions to help form some groups intent on nutting out these ideas.