much work to be done to give Asian women the equality they deserve. We need social acceptance. We need equal chances to be recognized. , we need laws to enforce fairness. , in poor families, daughters have few opportunities to study. Only sons are allowed this privilege. In Thailand, divorced women have custody of the children, are not financially compensated by their fathers as women in Europe and the United States. , charge of female infidelity brings disastrous social condemnation and legal consequences, any such action perpetrated by a man is accepted as common practice. , these unchecked disadvantages to women have an adverse impact on the fundamental social fabric of any nation where they occur. the chain of traditional practices needs to be broken. How can children - both boys and girls - grow up to be contributing resources for their country, they are not given equal chances? How can an underdeveloped country advance in the world economy more than half its population is excluded from the opportunity to create economic value?