In 1957 women received the full citizenship rights, ten years after men did. Since then the state has seen them as equal. Women in Laos have a high social and cultural status, because they are respected and are seen as the "mother" of the group. Men are seen as culturally superior, because of their status to be able to be a monk. Men usually occupy the main positions,in the public world.

Gender Equality

In Laos, the men are the main religious leader as monks. Women can also be nuns. In Laos, women are the main supporters of Buddhism, and shamanism in Laos is usually a prerogative for women. While in the city, women and men are sometimes split because of gender, but in the country there is no major split between men and women, except that women usually do the weaving and sewing. Women usually star in petty trade, and men dominate political positions, but slowly that is changing.