In the Thai local tradition, especially in the north, parents prefer
the birth of a daughter to that of a son. While a son can help his parents
in the rice field, a daughter can help in both household work and
farming. After marriage, the daughter continues to serve her parents
because a Thai couple traditionally establishes their family close to
the woman’s parents. Usually both a Thai son and daughter hold to
the traditional values of filial piety, but a daughter is especially valued
because she can do more for her parents. Unfortunately, this traditional
Thai attitude fits in quite well with the exploitative structures