Roles of Women and Local Governance in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province based on Sangahavatthu

Abstract

The purposes of this research article were 1) to study the level of women's Roles and local governance in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province based on Sangahavatthu; 2) to analyze the relationship between Sangahahavatthu and the roles of women and local governance in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province; and 3) to propose guidelines for developing the roles of women in local governance based on Sangakhahavatthu in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province. This was a mixed-methods research, comprising quantitative research by collecting data from a sample of 400 people using a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.987. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Qualitative research involved in-depth interviews with 21 key informants selected using purposive sampling, and the data was analyzed using descriptive content analysis. The study found that 1) the roles of women in local governance in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province based on Sangahahavatthu were at a moderate level overall ( = 3.33, S.D. = 0.56), and the roles of women in local governance overall were also at a moderate level (  = 3.39, S.D. = 0.58); 2) Sangahavatthu had a very high positive correlation with the roles of women in local governance, statistically significant (r = 0.776**); and 3) the guidelines for developing the roles of women in local governance based on Sangahahavatthu consisted of (1) Dana, it should encourage women to have a public spirit, be selfless, generous, help the underprivileged, and manage resources for the common good fairly; (2) Piyavaca, it should develop the communication skills of female leaders to be polite, creative, listen to opinions, and create good understanding within the community; and (3) Atthacariya), it should encourage women to have a role in community development, care for vulnerable groups, listen to the problems and needs of the people, including working for the public benefit; and (4) in terms of Samanattata,  women should be encouraged to treat people equally, transparently, adhere to the rule of law, and perform their duties with honesty and consistency.