Before traveling to Myanmar country, you should learn about a country’s culture as it owns the strange rules and customs. You will be welcome friendly from local people if any understandings turning into larger ones. The family is possibly the most important pillar of Myanmar culture. Unlike many western countries, in the family, the father is considered the spiritual head of the household. In the rule, men and women’s status in Myanmar are distinctly different, men have a higher religious status. In this article, we will offer the useful information about Myanmar women for someone want to understand more about Myanmar country.
Myanmar women in history
First of all, there has been no hard and fast rule of gender discrimination in Myanmar anthropologically, culturally and religiously. All Myanmar ethnic nationalities give equal status and treatment to men and women. Fairer gender by own virtues has feminine modesty and feminine privilege to be respected and protected by men. Therefore certain jobs, works and places are regarded as not suitable for fairer gender because of discrimination but out of respect and regard for fairer gender.
In a typical family, father is the supporter of the family and mainly responsible, it is the mother who is the power behind. The mother runs the whole family from kitchen to budget covering the whole range of daily life of the family. Father’s income is given over to Mother who can make her own budget in a very pragmatic way for food, clothing, shelter, health and education of the family. Both father and mother are happy, neither feels superior or inferior to each other and children love both equally.
In culture and religion mother enjoys the place of precedence over Father. Because mother keeps children in her womb and gives birth to them, we all genders owe much to our mothers. So we always give priority to mother. Pay respects to mother first and to father next Even Lord Buddha gave his homage and gratitude to his mother Queen Maha Maya who kept him in her womb and gave birth to him in a human world. Lord Buddha prescribes rights and duties between parents and children, husband and wife, master and servant, teacher and pupils, king and people.
Thus five duties of husband for wife are;
1. Do not neglect your wife
2. Hand over your income to her
3. No adultery.
4. Give her good clothing and adornment.
5. Be always kind to her.
Five duties of wife to husband are;
1. Do domestic works
2. Save and keep income
3. No adultery
4. Give support to relatives and friends of both hers’ and his.
5. Do not be idle or lazy.
In possession, right of inheritance, in divorce male and female members of the family get equal shares and divisions. No greater share or division for male members. In divorce, equality of right is practiced. In public, Myanmar women contribute in every field, business, service, education. They have feminine business acumen to support their husbands. Like other countries, in Myanmar history, King had many wise and influential queens.
In the modern history of Myanmar, Myanmar women never take inferior place either in private or public life. In business, politics, education, in freedom and in war, Burmese women always take their role so no discrimination. There were women headmen appointed by the King. These women village heads arrested the criminals, gave them due to punishment by caning, beating, boxing such women village chiefs were physically stronger than average men.
In the getting National Freedom, there are two Thakhin like Thakhinma men and women young nationalists. At that time women in England were fighting for their right to vote let alone appearing in Parliament. Ma Mya Sein flawlessly delivered her speech for Separation. She became the apple of the eye of British women and the role model to emulate.
Women played no small role in sacrificing their own lives. In every profession, women are out numbing men. In Universities, medicine, Engineering, Foreign Services, many departments are man and by women. Daw KhinKyi, Bogyoke Aung San’s wife and mother of Daw Aung San Su Kyi was the first woman ambassador in the world.
In Buddhist religion, there were both male and female monks -bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. Buddha’s foster mother Gotami became Bhikkhuni Gotami. But now as the period for Bhikkhuni was over, we have nuns who are not bound by all rules of Vinaya, but who still enjoy other rights in Pariyatti, Patipatti and Pativada. They are entitled to religious awards, titles and privileges.
The writer agrees with the UN Secretary-General that. There are areas where gender discrimination still prevails. But the writer wishes to draw the attention of the world that Myanmar women are far advanced and Myanmar men hold no jealousy for it they are proud of it.
Prospects for Women changing rights
In recent years, Myanmar tends to open the country’s doors to foreign investment and catch up with the increasingly modernised world. Looking at the largest city, Yangon is the largest city which is more and more attractive modernisation with multinationals including Mercedes, Chevrolet and Hilton entering the market.
The traditional Burmese women are taught to be obedient. They need to be discouraged from being career-minded as it is thought to be the business of the men. Two-thirds of women work in unskilled work at a low, unstable salary as they have lack specific and relevant skills. Thus, it makes the increased situation between the rich and poor, especially with the opening up of Myanmar’s markets to foreign investment, which usually provides better-paying jobs for skilled workers.
The same to other Asia countries, Myanmar also happens the gender discrimination situation. However, the society tends to decrease the situation, in the workforce, such as the private sector, there appears to be virtually no gender discrimination, individuals tend to be more liberal and open-minded. Performance, it seems, is the most important criteria for promotion in this sector and an equal amount of respect can generally be expected from the other party. However, there are some limitations in genders in some areas, some events, some policies of government. There are many policies changed laws to allow women ministers in previously all-male ministerial roles.
At universities in central Myanmar, the entrance marks for several courses of females will be higher than of males. However, the education policies have changed and improved. For example, previously some courses have just spent for men but currently, they are opened up to include females, gender equality in terms of education is on its way. As a result, it is easy to see the changes in the education, where more women are working and leaving their marks in male-dominated industries, such as engineering and construction. According to business women, they revealed that while the basics of education are important, most employers will hire based on the candidate’s attitude to work. If the women want to get the higher qualifications, higher salaries, they need to get more skilled or specific jobs like accounting, financing, doctors,…
In some cases, there may be prefered gender when hiring for stereotypically male jobs. For example, in the architecture or construction field, it requires more males with qualifications and experience by its particular. They are willing to work in the culture and norms of international environment to grow and progress in order to lead to increased foreign interaction. Currently, gender discrimination will be reduced so that individual capability will be expanded more.
However, there is a large part of women who work at home and contribute in responsibilities with their husbands in their own business. In some cases, it is the women who become breadwinners of the family, and many of them constantly try to find a balance between family and work.
“Successful women entrepreneurs are masters of this balancing act. I’m still trying to become a master,” said Veronica Aw of Nervin Café, a mother of three children. Their success in career is one of the important factors in the life, another factor is family life and Buddhist culture. Moreover, they are capable of handling both their work and family life well.
The full equality of marriage is difficult, but businesswomen and entrepreneurs believe that men and women should aim to share family responsibilities in a marriage, rather than the woman being the only or sole family caregiver. Both husband and wife needs to contribute to the rising costs of living in order effort to their children.
In 1995, Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association (MWEA) was established. This association helps unskilled and lowly educated women in more rural areas of Myanmar. They are willing to support organise workshops that teach important and relevant skills like English Language. It ensures more girls are able to continue studying these skills. Thus, a number of women earns the good jobs to change the quality of life.
In conclusion, in recent years, the rights of Burmese women is changing to get the equal gender as they would play a larger role in the workforce. Their policies and mindsets are starting to become more equalised and liberal. Thus, the living costs are increasing as both women and men achieve better-paying jobs. It is believed that there would be more women respond to managers and directors situation in the future, as Myanmar women are hardworking, and would hence climb their way to upper management more easily. They are working in their passion that one is determined to pour their heart into it, and have their passion drive their careers and life, not being afraid to face difficulties and challenges headstrong. The policies of Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association are encouraged by families to ensure the upward social and economic mobility of women in Myanmar.
