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Laotian women are tough, industrious, creative and also possess a share of feminine beauty. Laos is a country that is gradually transforming from a socialist economy to a capitalist and a trade liberalization one.

Lao women enjoy the rights and privileges not quite common in the underdeveloped countries. There exists a matrilocal kinship and residence pattern, and matrilineal inheritance system for the majority of women. Adoption of the capitalist system of economy has not negatively affected these long-existing norms and values among the Lao people.

Lao women tend to enjoy economic freedom and self reliance. They have socio-economic leverage, which arises from their collective spirit and the series of chances for economic success available to them due to significant sectors of the economy being owned and managed by women. Based on this, the Lao women are more renowned for and seen as having more ideas toward money making and money management than the opposite sex. Women in the people&rsquos democratic republic have been able to maintain their economic independence and financial vibrancy in the face of daunting challenges such as war, political upheaval as well as economic liberalization and globalization. Nevertheless, there are many factors posing a threat to the enviable position of women in Laos. These include land reforms laws, ever growing competition between the homemade textile materials and the mechanically manufactured ones, standardization of agriculture and modernization of their entire socio-political system in the country. Having said that, these are not entirely gender specific threats.

Natural Weavers

Weaving is the major source of income for families in rural areas. People have started to patronize foreign imported materials, which has had an adverse effect on the rural women most of whom depend on the homemade textiles for economic survival. However, homemade clothes are still much provided and sold especially in places such as Vieng Xai.

Reverse Feminism

Another crucial factor which poses a danger to the economically independent Lao woman is the land reforms law embarked upon by the government. Communal lands are now being vested in private hands. The government intends to increase its revenues and so levy heavy taxes on land. In order to achieve this objective, lands are now officially acknowledged in the name of the family heads, the men.

The Lao-lum women have lost a great deal of economic freedom as a result of this policy. Women are gradually been denied ownership of land which they inherited from their mothers. This creates the problem of family breakup as many women do now realize that land ownership acknowledge by the government in the formers name grant them a more reliable economic independence. Otherwise it is only in the case of war-widows that their lands are registered in the name of the women.

The deforestation and resettlement programmes of the government have also negatively affected women especially the Lao Sung and Lao thung. Widespread commercial forest logging does not only reduce environmental friendliness but also puts to an end the benefits driven from forest produce by the women. The government itself understands the importance of the forests and therefore has embarked on resettlement to preserve them. This also creates the problem of resettlement of people to lowlands. It increases the workload of the women which in turn causes a rise in child mortality rates.

Finally, mechanization of the agricultural system has not advanced the economic resourcefulness of the Lao women. There is change from buffalo aided farming to the use of tractors or power tiller. This tilts the scale in favour of men as it is believed that only men can work with these modern farming machines.

Men are taught modern farming technological techniques while women continue to grapple with the use of beasts of burden in the traditional farming process. As one might expect, women having been voicing their displeasure with such an arrangement. For instance, in Khammuan province, the women have offered resistance to replacement of age-long traditional farming methods with modern sophistication and innovations.