(I have submitted this paper at Young Scholar's Conference -Asian Studies in a Globalized world organized by International Institute of Peace Studies and Institute of Asian Studies- Chulalongkong University(March 5th -6th, 2013))
Nowadays,
the world is changing. Women are taking a leadership role in almost all sectors
around the world. In olden days, the status of women was restricted by
religion, tradition, custom and law in most part of the world. Women and children
are made to be a chattel of men. Women are exploited as slaves, prostitutes, concubines,
and second class citizens. Women also lost fundamental human rights but as some
women got a privilege to study advance education and wide knowledge and they
became to know that they have to fight for women’s rights. For almost all
centuries, the women have to fight for their equity. As the world progress to
be knowledge age, people became to realize that all human beings are equal. Women
are not in weaker sector. After trying and struggling very hard by activists
and feminists, we can now see the slightly change in women leadership.
In
almost all countries, women have now won the right to vote. Yet there are still
scandalously few women in positions of political leadership. So many activists
and supporting organizations are trying to increase the percentage of women
leadership. According to the statement of Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director
of UN Women at CEDAW 30, they have decided that there will be more than 30
countries have 30 percent or more women parliamentarians in 2030.
In Myanmar
history, there were many women leaders in many sectors. In present Myanmar, there
are already a number of prominent women in the leadership role. Most of these
female leaders are from such sectors in business, social, education, health and
others but few in political and government sector.
In
government sector, women cannot get a chance to be a minister. After democratic
reformation, more women are involved in politics but female government minister
and female parliamentary members are still few. According to the Inter
Parliamentary Union and UN Women, Myanmar still ranked 135 out of 143
in terms of global female political participation. Before the April 1 by elections,
there are only 18 women included in 613 filled seats, but the by –elections
increased the number of women holding seats by a dozen.
According
to Myanmar
custom and tradition, women get equal chance with men in decision-making
process. They do not take the name of the father or husband after marriage. Her
name is her own and the name is known from birth to death unless she changes it
of her own accord. In family, the husband and wife share equal household
responsibilities. The husband provides the financial needs and it is the woman
who manages the family decision making in providing food, clothing and
schooling, etc. But women cannot get an equal chance with the men in leading
role. The women may go out to work for the social development; they still have
the major responsibility to look after the family. In Myanmar, 50.3%
of the total populations are women. Thus the women outnumber the men. Most of Myanmar
women are eligible to take a leadership role. Today, there are some female
Myanmar Leaders who are honored and respected by the world as the Nobel Peace
winner Daw Aung San Su Kyi.But women leaders are
still a few.
Nowadays,
Myanmar
is trying to reform to Democracy and we need many women leaders because women
leader can express the real voice of the women to the world. Only woman can
know the pains of women, can empathy the suffering of women and can solve the
problem of women. Men leader is not appropriate to represent the women’s
affairs effectively.
Women
leaders are also needed for representative of have-not and poor. In Myanmar, there
are many poverties stricken people. Naturally, women have mothers’ instinct
and love. So they can sympathize to those people and raise their voices.
Our
people’s leaders, Daw Aung San Su Kyi, always encourage women to try to become
a leader. But why are women leaders left behind? Will more female got an
opportunity and chance to get a leading role in future Myanmar? It
becomes a controversial issue. There are many reasons why most of the women are
not participate in leading role.
One of
the barriers for becoming women leader is the lack of political knowledge.
Before the military regime, political science and democracy was the curriculum
of University. Due to the political awareness, there were many prominent women
politician who fight for the Burma Independence abreast with men politician.
Eg. Ludu Daw A Mar, MA. Daw Ohn, Mrs Ba
Mg Chein ( Minister of Health). After
the military took the state power, only propaganda of dictatorship was force to
put into the mind of the people and political literatures were prohibited. Although people have not got a chance to
learn political knowledge and practices openly, people afford to get political
knowledge and practices in other way such as listening radio, approaching the
experienced politician, reading illicit underground political literatures. As
for women, these chances are only got by few. Most of the women cannot have a
spare time to learn politics because they have to occupy in household work. To
expand the role of women leaders, we have to educate women to get political knowledge and
practices. We have to persuade them to read more political literatures. We have
to give more trainings, seminars and workshops. We have to demand to add
political science in formal education. We have to motivate and encourage women to participate in Politics.
Another
reason for lack of women leaders is that the majority of Myanmar women
regard politics is not their concern. Even though there was a queen, Shin Saw
Pu, in Myanmar History, Myanmar people believe that only men can handle
political affair according to Myanmar custom and tradition. There is Myanmar saying
‘dawn comes, when cock crows but not hen.” This means that women cannot make
things change. That is the stereotyping norms. Actually, politics is everyone
concerns. We have to educate women to change their mind-set. We have to
organize people to give women a chance to be a leader and to give awareness in
gender equity.
Furthermore,
the past regime had convinced people that the politics is a crime. The authorities
crack down anyone who involved in politics. So people are under fear. They dare
not to express their political view in public, even to mention the word
politics loudly. They realize that women have to pay a disproportionately high
price for directly and indirectly participation in political affairs. They
suffer many problems such as social, financial and etc. Some women politicians
got long–term unjust-imprisonment. Therefore, most of the women are scared to get
involved in politics. We have to encourage people to freedom from fear. We have
to help them to know that politics belongs to everyone. Politics is the refuge
of oppress and underprivileged instead of refuge of the scoundrel.
In
Myanmar Constitution (2008), although there are women rights of employment, there
are no sections to prescribe how many percent of women parliamentarians are to
be appointed. Also, as the president must have a military experience, it is
difficult for women to be eligible in that highest post of the Union because women are not allowed to serve in active
military services. So we need to change
the constitution to get women a fair chance in higher post and 30 percent of seats
in parliament reserved for women as per CEDAW protocol.
Myanmar is trying to build a democratic nation. As
Democracy is the rule of the people and administer by check and balance, all
men and women have to participate in this process. Men leaders cannot build for
peaceful and prosperous nation without the women leaders’ involvement.
Hence,
it is now necessary to promote women to participate in the building of
democratic society. So that women leadership can lead in future Myanmar
to become a developed country. Becoming more women to participate in politics,
it is necessary for women to build their capacity not only in academic
knowledge but also in practical skill. It is necessary for men to acknowledge
the role of women leadership and encourage them to get this opportunity. Let’s give
women a chance.
