In Family We Trust: The Role and Status of Women in Thai-Chinese Families

Abstract

This article was the analysis of the role and status of women in Thai-Chinese families that found within Leud Kon Khon Jang, or In Family We Trust, a Thai television drama by Nadao Bangkok and 4Nologue which broadcasts twice a week on Channel One 31. The mystery drama told the story of the Jira-anan family, the crazy rich Thai-Chinese clan that owned a chain of hotels worth a billion baht. When the grandfather, the revered head of the family, passed away and his will revealed to his children and grandchildren, the family members were pitted against one another due to perceived unfairness. A breaking point was reached when the oldest son, Prasert, was found shot dead in his own bedroom, leading each family member to suspect others of the crime. Some suspect was his younger sister, Passorn, whom he just fired from the family's company, and whom he even slapped publicly following an argument. In Family We Trust portrays and explores the dynamic of Chinese culture that tended to favor sons over daughters, men over women— something those from Thai-Chinese families could definitely relate to. Some of Thai-Chinese families, as Jira-anan family, still followed the Chinese tradition that was mainly rooted in patriarchal kinship that came from the doctrine of Confucianism, which regulated the role and status of Chinese women within familial and social aspects of their culture. In Family We Trust gives us the understanding of Thai-Chinese people with their unique culture, the images and reflections on the status and role of women living in the intense Thai-Chinese families and may be a reflection of change and the conflict that is in between traditional Chinese and modern Chinese tradition.