L ast month, Boodsabann Chanthawong joined a growing number of women defying generations of Thai Buddhist tradition by becoming ordained as novice monks at an unrecognised all-female monastery outside Bangkok.

Leading a procession of 21 other women – from teenagers to senior citizens – to a chapel in the Songdhammakalyani monastery in Nakhon Pathom province, Boodsabann tears up as she prepares to exchange her white garments for the distinctive saffron robes otherwise seen almost exclusively on male monks.

“I’m going to overcome this obstacle and become ordained like I’ve always wanted,” the 49-year-old businesswoman says before the ceremony, where she will have her head shaved and stay for nine days at the temple.

Officially, only men can become monks and novices in Thailand under a Buddhist order that since 1928 has forbidden the ordination women. The country does not recognise female monks or novices.

One option for devout Thai women is to become white-clad Buddhist nuns, who follow a less-strict religious regimen than monks and are often relegated to housekeeping tasks in temples.

In recent years, more Thai Buddhist women seeking to become fully-fledged “bhikkunis”, or female monks, have been defying the tradition by pursuing the other option: getting ordained overseas, usually in Sri Lanka or India.

Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the 74-year-old abbess of the Songdhammakalyani monastery, flew to Sri Lanka to be ordained in 2001 as Thailand’s first female monk.

Since then, she has helped women like Boodsabann join the Buddhist order as novices at the monastery’s ordination ceremonies every April and December.

Boodsabann Chanthawong works with her husband at her stall near her house, days after she ended her novice monkhood (Reuters)

“It’s been 90 years and the social context has changed, but they still don’t accept us,” Dhammananda told Reuters in an interview at the temple’s library, where an entire shelf is dedicated to books about women’s rights and role in religion.

“It’s a shame that women aren’t allowed to make decisions for their own lives. You have to rebel against injustice because this is not right,” she added.

Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Show all 20 1 /20 Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thai women devotees attend an icebreaking session ahead of their ordination to be novice monks at the Songdhammakalyani monastery, Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. Officially, only men can become monks and novices in Thailand under a Buddhist order that, since 1928, has forbidden the ordination of women. A growing number of women defy generations of Thai Buddhist tradition by becoming ordained as novice monks at the unrecognised all-female monastery Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thai women devotees practice during a first orientation to become Buddhist novice monks Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, 74, abbess of the monastery, plays with her dog Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thai women devotees have their hair cut during a mass female Buddhist novice monk ordination ceremony Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Novice monks walk in line to receive food offerings Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Novice monks walk in line during their ordination ceremony Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thai women devotees Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Saffron robes before before ordination ceremony Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Boodsabann Chanthawong, 49, a businesswoman, works on her mobile phone as she rides on a train, weeks ahead of her ordination Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition A painting of a female Buddhist monk Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition A devotee has her hair cut Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Novice monks gather for a group photo Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Novice monks pray during a morning routine Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition A Thai woman devotee who ended her novice monkhood has her head cleaned by Dhammananda Bhikkhuni Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thai women devotees carry their saffron robes Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Female Buddha statues on display at the Songdhammakalyani monastery Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Devotees in white robes pray Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Devotees walk in line during their Buddhist novice monk ordination ceremony Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Thai women return their saffron robes after ending their novice monkhood Reuters Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition Boodsabann Chanthawong works with her husband at her stall near her house, days after she ended her novice monkhood Reuters

While Dhammananda’s monastery ordains female novices, it cannot do the same for those seeking to become female monks. Such a ceremony would require not only 10 female monks but also 10 male monks, who are forbidden under Thailand’s 1928 order to participate in it.

There are around 270 female monks across Thailand and they were all ordained abroad, Dhammananda says, adding that her monastery currently houses seven of them. In contrast, Thailand has more than 250,000 male monks.

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Efforts in the past by advocates to undo the 1928 order have been futile. It has been officially upheld during meetings of the Sangha Supreme Council, the country’s top monks, in 2002 and most recently in 2014.

The government says this is not gender discrimination but a matter of long-held tradition, and women are free to travel abroad to be ordained, just not in their own country.

“Women can’t be ordained here, but no one stops them from doing that overseas. They just can’t be ordained by Thai monks, that’s all,” says Narong Songarom, spokesman of the National Office of Buddhism.

Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat