THE STATUS m

MYANMAR WOMEN

Ni Ni Myint
 CONTENTS
Page

Acknowledgement 1

Introduction 3

Education and Myanmar Women 7

Health Care and Myanmar Women 27

Myanmar Women in the Labour Force 37

Legal Status of Myanmar Women 54

Family Life and Social Status of Myanmar Women 62

Conclusion 68

Appendices 71

Bibliography 92

Family Life and Social Status of Myanmar Women
Myanmar tenns relating to the family, such as mi thar zu
(literally 'mother with a group of children') for" family", and mi ba.
hni' pa: ( literally ' mother and father , the two august personages ' )
for "parents" indicate a precedence given to women. The woman is
given precedence in the word for "family" since the mother bears
responsibility for the early care and upbringing of the children.
The Status ofMyanmar Women 62
In the same way the mother - mi, takes precedence over the
father - ba in the word for parents. In practical life, however, men are
accorded the status of head of the family. With regard to folk wisdom,
there are Myanmar that praise women as well as those that denigrate
them. The Myanmar saying "kye' ma. tuan ywei. mo: ma. /inn "
meaning " dawn does not break when a hen crows " suggest that
women are ineffectual in crucial matters. But another saying yau'
kyarr go se tho mapyii nain ; mein: ma. go se tho ma. khan nain
meaf!1ng "men cannot do it but by putting a woman on this job
nothing can stand in her way" indicates the superior capabilities of
women.
On this subject Fielding- Hall comments:
Women are women and men are men. They differ a great deal in
many ways, so a Burman would say; men are better in some
things, women are better in others; if they (women) have a
position, their relative superiority in certain things determine it.
How else should it be determined?70
There is true in this because, men and women are different
physically and socially. The status of women in Myanmar as different
from those in neighbouring countries where women were traditionally
suppressed. Historically, there have been strong Indian cultural
influences in Myanmar but Myanmar acceptance of Indian culture
has been selective and adaptative. Myanmar has rejected such things
as the caste system, child marriage, the dowry system, the extended
?G.FicldingHall, 1911,p.169
The Status ofMycmmar Women · 63
family system, purdah, child betrothal, wife immolation, and the
abandonment of girl infants. In Myanmar baby girls are as welcome in
the family as their male siblings. There might be only one exception.
According to Buddhism the novitiation of one's own son is a great
meritorious deed and for that reason every parent wants to have at
least one son. But that does not mean that daughters are not welcome
and parents prefer to have children of both sexes rather than only sons
or daughters.
Myanmar parents admonish their children with the adage "tha:
tha mii ma. kaun: mi. ha. gaun:" "Delinquent children are the burden
that parents have to bear". Although both parents share responsibility
in this, the mother, who has more time together with the children has'
the greater responsibility.
Athough women enjoy equal rights with men, wives usually
defer to their husbands. This is express in the proverb "tha: go thakhin
Jin go hpayarr" "A son is the lord while the husband is the god" The
following observations taken from " Myanmar Gender Profile 2000 ",
a field survey taken in the Kayin State corroborates this relationship:
A 53 year old grandmother: "When I cooked a special dish, I
gave priority to my husband. Now for a special dish, I give
priority to my eldest son. " A 33 year old mother: ''/ give the
best part of a choice dish to my husband and my children.
However, my husband gives priority to the children and to me.
Only then will he take for himself." A 47 year old mother: ''.A
choice dish is first served to my husband''. A 25 year old father:
"During meals my wife gives me priority in partaking food. I
The Status of Myanmar Women · 64
always tell her it is not necessary and I tell her to eat more. "A
25 year old mother: "When there is a special dish priority is
given to children. "71
Traditionally it has been the custom for women to defer to men,
but this has not meant that the oppression of women has been
advocated or tolerated in Myanmar society, generally women are
considered the weaker sex but are treated as equal to men.
A point which needs to be discussed with regard to the status of
women is the idea of "hpoun" which means "glory", or spiritual aura.
Spiro contends that only men possess and hpoun that no women
possesses it except Visakha, the famous disciple of the Buddha.72
There are two points to be made against this contention. Firstly, it is
believed that women possess hpoun, although it may be less than that
of men. There is a Myanmar proverb which says "Men's hpoun exists
in his anns while women's hpoun exists in her 'sadoun' (hair knot)" 73 •
Secondly, the idea of hpoun has somewhat old fashioned today;
people may talk about it but they do not take it seriously in their life
anymore. Perhaps the one remaining exception is the prohibition of
women from entering the inner sanction of religious buildings.
Traditionally, parents have the responsibility of seeing their
children settled in marriage and the adage "thamii kaiiaakha ma/in. ze
hnin " advises parents not to carry too long in marrying off their
daughter when she comes age.
71
MGP, 2000, p.88
•
72
Spiro, Kinship and Mamage in Burma. p. 259
•
7l • Myanmasoyo (Myanmar Traditional Saying), 1996, pp. 188-189
The Stahls ofMyanmar Women · 65
 However, a woman can decide independently on whether to get
The same survey also shows that decision within the family are
married or not. There is no social discrimination against a woman
made mutually:
who status single, and the parents have a liberal view about their
daughter's marriage. If the daughter prefers to stay single, she has the Decision -making Within the Family
right to stay with her parents for life. Moreover, Myanmar women Decision taken bv husband 7.5%
rarely marry again after being widowed or divorced, although remarry. Decision taken bv wife 2%
Decision arrived at mutuallv 83%
According to statistics, in the age group 45-49, the number of women
No Reply 7.5%
who remain unmarried or are divorced is about double that of men Source: Result from Questionnaires
while the number of widows is triple that of widowers. In the age
group 65-69, nearly half of all women are widowed, compared to only
19 percent for men.74
The custom of dowry does not exist in Myanmar society except
in the Rakhine State. It is the bridegroom who gives wedding presents
to the bride and bears the expense of the wedding including the bride's
trousseau. After marriage, the wife does not take the name of her
husband but retains her own.
A survey conducted for this project provides the following
information on the basis of marriage in Myanmar:

Basis of Marriage
6%
0%
0%
Personal choice 94%
Source: Result from Questionnaires

14
• Table-I, A Demogrnphic Perspective on Women, Tablc-61

The Status of Myanmar Wome11 · 66

The Status ofMyanmar Women · 67
Conclusion
The foregoing chapters show that, traditionally, women's
education was through monastic education and that it had its
limitations. This underwent a change when Myanmar became a
British colony. Generally, as far as women were concerned, monastic
education was replaced by the Christian missionary school system.
Missionary schools provided women with greater opportunities for on
a modern curriculum formal schooling. This foanal education of
women beginning in the colonial period provided a basis for the
further development of women's education when the Union of
Myanmar emerged as an independent nation and this has continued
into the current period. The greater opportunities provided by
education have enhanced the role of women in society and in national
life.
In health care, Myanmar women traditionally went through a
difficult time at childbirth being treated according to traditional
remedies and practices. However in the colonial period, traditional
methods were gradually replaced by medical practices based on
scientific methods. Also, an agency for the provision of maternal and
childcare was established in 1906. Myanmar women began to enter
the profession of health workers and as nurses and midwives as well
as physicians administered to the needs of their fellow women.
Although the conditions of childbirth have greatly improved, there is
room for improvement in birth spacing and contraception measures.
Health education for women in rural areas has not yet reached a
The Status ofMyanmar Women : 68
satisfactory level and more needs to be done to raise the health
awareness level of Myanmar women.
In the economic sector, Myanmar women, with better
educational opportunities, have entered the workforce from the
primary to the tertiary levels, working in a variety of jobs together
with men. However, they enjoy equal pay only in the state owned
sector and suffer disabilities in the private sector. That a movement
has not developed to raise the issue and demand an equality of rights
may be due to Myanmar women being too unassuming and not
aggressive enough in the assertion of their rights. In the sphere of
trade buying and selling merchandise comes naturally to Myanmar
women and from small-scale itinerant vending and hawking to staffing
and management of stores, boutiques and marts women are found in
plentiful numbers. Also in professions that place a premium on
education such as medicine and teaching, women overwhelmingly
outnumber men. The percentage of women in industry is also rising.
In monarchical times, Myanmar women were granted equal
rights by the law. The Dhammathats although having such feature as
the recognition of slavery, did not oppress women and endorsed
fairness. Although they were replaced by British administered law in
the colonial period, womep did not lose their rights.
Polygamy continuek to exist and in a way 1s given legal
cognizance by the recognition of the various wives as co-wives.
Equality is however granted to women in the inheritance of parent's or
husband's estate and the principle that women have equal rights as
men in inheritance has been spelt out in the Dhammathats and in the
laws of today. Basic human rights are equally granted to women as to
The StatuJ of Myanmar Women : 69
men. Both the 1947 and the 1974 Constitutions embody their
principle. Thus the rights of Myanmar women have been and are
safeguarded in law by the Dhammathats, British administered law, the
constitutions of Myanmar and by Myanmar Buddhist Customary Law.
Precedence is given to the husband in the household but only as
a matter of custom and not forcibly imposed. Moreover although the
husband is the formal head of the household, decisions affecting the
family are largely made by consultation between husband and wife.
Thus, men and women are on an equal footing within1he family. Men
are aware that women are the weaker sex and eschew violence in their
dealings. Moreover, since Buddhism which underpins Myanmar
society reaches that husbands and wives have obligations towards
each other, Myanmar wives are ensured of equal rights in their
domestic life.
Thi! Statw ofMyanmar Woml!n 70
APPENDICES
Current Myanmar Women Organizations
1. Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association
2. Myanmar Women Entrepreneur's Association
3. The Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs
4. The Myanmar National Working Committee for Women's
Affairs
Appendix 1
The Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association
(MMCWA)
The Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association
(MMCWA), the country's largest non-governmental organization with
branches and associations all over the country has been working
closely with the Government to promote the health and well-being of
mothers and children.
Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association is a voluntary
organization with the mission to serve mothers and children of
Myanmar to enhance ~ r quality of life. It was officially formed on
9th November 1990.
The Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association on its part
is mobilizing communities to form Township and branch Associations
including those from military units, factories, etc. to carry out its
various activities. In March 1999, there were altogether 321 township
associations with 5659 branches and in the year 2000, there were 321
Thi! Statw ofMyanmar Women · 71