Essay on Modern Thailand Culture and Its Norms Related to Sexuality and Gender

For eons now, adolescents of substantial proportions mostly in the western countries have engaged in premarital sex. According to Cardoso 50.1 percent and 65.2 percent of females in France and Sweden respectively under 18 years have had coital experience. In Asia, surveys at the national level found that antenuptial sex is less prevalent that in the west even though sexual and multiplicative health studies exposed that their voluptuous activity has amplified (Brown). The results of the survey designate that the non-trivial proportions of pubescent are at the moment sexually proficient. In the State of Thailand an epoch ago, 11 percent and 24 percent of female and virile secondary school going students testified involved in coital experience (Brown). Majority females had sexual debut with a person they intended to marry while the males had their experience with a commercial sex worker. The essay, therefore, seeks to illustrate the modern Thailand culture and its norms related to sexuality and gender.

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Traditionally in Thailand, sexuality has remained a sequestered matter (Brown). The dawn of HIV/AIDS at the 1990s unbolted it for public deliberations. Many studies have been done in Thailand for the past two decades (Nynas, Peter, and Andrew). They have illustrious significant variations in the rates of sensual activity producing substantiation of amplified sexual activities among the young persons. Also, there are large disparities amongst the young female and young males regarding sexual activity even though the differences may be attributed to the under-reporting of females and the over-reporting of the males (Brown).

Prostitution at present in Thailand has increased, and many young women are working in the sex industry. Prostitution in Thailand is not strictly illegal, but laws of public nuisance and solicitation are in effect. Practically, it is tolerated and partly regulated. Clandestinely, prostitution operates in many parts of the country. After the Vietnam War, Thailand gained an international infamy among the travelers as a destination for sex tourism. It is in the year 2016 that the tourism minister, MS Kobkan Wattanavrangkul wanted to abolish the sex industry. She postulated that the tourists traveled to Thailand because of the beautiful culture and not because of sex and hence the essence of quality tourism (Nynas, Peter, and Andrew).

It is estimated that there are 200,000 million sex workers at Thailand (Brown). In the registered establishments of entertainment, it is estimated that there are 78,000 adult prostitutes. Averagely, 10 percent of the Thailand GDP is contributed by the sex workers annually. On estimation, the sex workers in Thailand annually sends US$300 million to their family members who do reside in the rural areas.

Centers like Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, red-light district and Hat Yai are the primary tourist prostitution zones (Brown). Prostitution nearly takes place in every major town and province in the country (Brown). It also takes place in different venues ranging from saunas, restaurants, massage parlors, hotels, brothels, beer bars, and go-go bars to the hostess bars. There are women in Karaoke bars who in toting to frolicking Thai music do sometimes engage in prostitution. Numerous other sector personnel provides services sex on the sideline. Lower end market prostitution services are provided by the straightforward brothels as they offer only sex and no any other service. These are very common outside Bangkok thereby serve the Thai men who are low-income earners (Cardoso).

High visibility is given to the sex industry in Thailand, and with that, there is an issue of attitude (Nynas, Peter, and Andrew). The Thais are very conservative in matters of sex. For them, it is a taboo to talk about sex. Most actresses of Thailand deny acting nude extracts and the explicit scenes of sex. The concept of Sanuk is widely exhibited in the uncluttered attitude towards sex among the men whereby they use the prostitutes after and before the marriage of which is broadly tolerated. However, the women are anticipated to remain virgins until marriage and after that monogamous. Clandestine sex is discouraged by Buddhism. The Thais do no appreciate public nudity (Cardoso).

The Thais are well known for the general harmony and tolerance. However, the absence of hostility and conflicts does not necessarily provide an indication that always the Thai people preserve embracing attitudes concerning abortion, gender inequality and sexuality in overall. Sex which brings about sorrow in other like exploitative and irresponsible sex, abuse, sexual coercion, and adultery are prohibited by the percepts of Third Buddhist. Phenomenas like women subordination, masturbation, homosexuality, and masturbation remain uncertain. Most attitudes can be drawn back to the non-Buddhist cradles. At present, the non-Buddhist dogmata are the primary blend between the indigenous people and the ideologies of the West (Brown).

Viagra is legalized in Thailand and it available without the prescription. After its legalization, it was sold in chemists, brothels and the bars in the cities. The drug became widely abused leading to numerous deaths of tourist through a heart attack. On Valentines Day, most Thai teenagers have sex. Couples usually go for a date which is aimed at culminating with sex. The police hand, the teacher, regard this as a vice that has stalked out of place (Cardoso). Greater effort has been put to eliminate the youth promiscuity and the drug abuse.

The stimuluses of Buddhism on sexuality and gender in Thailand is intertwined with the practices of Hinduism, popular demonology from the ancient times and the local animistic beliefs (Nynas, Peter, and Andrew). Buddhism accentuates on laity and the ways of avoiding extremism even though the guidelines to for achieving nirvana are provided. Such a pragmatic tactic is also viewed within the purview of sexuality.

According to Zheng, Thai parents do not provide sexual education to their children even though asked by them. They avoid providing direct answers, or at other times, they provide information that is incorrect. Due to the unlikeliness of the parents to display fondness at the presence of their children, the role modeling of the children is in most instances derived from the media and literature available. Men mostly discuss sex with their men colleagues at the instances of drinking or socializing (Brown). For the women, they prefer discussing sex and marital issues with the peers of the same gender. Recently, communications about sex amongst married couples in Thai has received much attention amongst the AIDS researchers, but the data is still scarce. Typically, sexual matters are not discussed in seriousness with the Thai society (Cardoso). The Thai community ought to invest more in sex education so as to eliminate the vice of prostitution.

Works Cited

Brown, Rajeswary Ampalavanar. Islam in Modern Thailand : Faith, Philanthropy and Politics. Routledge, 2014. Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series.

Cardoso, Fernando. "The Relationship between Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification among Males in a Cross-Cultural Analysis in Brazil, Turkey and Thailand." Sexuality & Culture, vol. 17, no. 4, Dec. 2013, pp. 568-597.

Nynas, Peter and Andrew Kam-Tuck Yip. Religion, Gender and Sexuality in Everyday Life. Routledge, 2013.

Zheng, Tiantian, et al. Cultural Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Asia. University of Hawaii Press, 2016.