As Myanmar struggles with an ongoing political crisis that has gripped the nation since a 2021 military coup, it is seeing a “striking transformation” in its social structures, as women have had to take on the roles of income providers and primary protectors of their families, says research by a local independent think tank.
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According to reports from field researchers in studies conducted by the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP) in Myanmar, in many villages and camps, only women, children and elderly men remain; women have had to take the lead in community recovery efforts. Most men who are in their prime years – between their 20s and 40s – have either been conscripted for military service, joined the resistance forces or left their families for neighbouring countries or relatively more stable regions like Myanmar’s capital Yangon to avoid conscription or other security risks.
Earlier this year, Myanmar’s military junta called for conscription to replenish its weakened forces, in the face of an armed resistance movement that has reportedly been growing in strength. Dr Su Mon Thazin Aung, director of capacity building at ISP, said that this has caused a massive migration of people, particularly men, across and outside of Myanmar, with women often left to fend for themselves.
Serious flooding triggered by monsoon rains between July and September this year has also added to the brunt of suffering, with women and children disproportionately affected, but the military regime has not taken serious action to mitigate the risks, highlighted Thazin Aung, who is also a visiting fellow with the Myanmar Studies Programme at Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
“These overwhelming challenges threaten an already fragile society and add to women’s powerlessness in Myanmar,” she said.
Extreme weather events have destroyed as much as 24 per cent of total agricultural land in Myanmar this year, according to estimates by the think tank, with some submerged cropland near areas with higher conflicts and internally displaced persons (IDPs), such as the Sagain and Magwe regions and the Rakhine and Kayin states. IDP is a United Nations term used to define people forced to flee their homes by conflict, violence, persecution or disasters.
Facing the double threats of war and climate, research shows that women in Myanmar have had to fill roles that men traditionally held, including leadership in post-emergency rebuilding efforts. But Thazin Aung said that these women are being forced by circumstances, and lack proper social protection and safety nets. “Their tough exteriors mask the inevitable physical security and livelihood vulnerabilities inflicted by conflict and natural disasters,” she said.
A large majority of women in Myanmar choose not to report incidents of domestic violence to external parties, according to a survey conducted by a local think tank. [Click to enlarge]. Image: ISP
For instance, a survey ISP conducted in August this year showed that when women become victims for domestic violence incidents, including assault and rape, a large majority (nearly 320 out of 450 women surveyed) either choose to resolve the incident within the household or community or to not report it. Researchers shared that victims mostly remain silent as they do not trust formal reporting mechanisms.
The research pointed to members of the Myanmar armed forces as primary perpetrators of these violent crimes, though it added that “other armed actors, friends and relatives are not without blame”.
In August this year, UN investigators flagged that crimes against humanity and war crimes by Myanmar’s military have escalated at an “alarming rate”, with systematic torture, gang rape and abuses against women and children increasing under military rule.
The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted an elected government in February 2021. On Monday, Thailand said it will be hosting two regional meetings on Myanmar, in an effort to find a way out of the crisis by bringing the nation back to the fore of Asean talks.
The nation’s economic output is expected to further shrink as the civil war rages on. A survey on socioeconomic impacts conducted by ISP from April to June this year showed female daily workers earning only 10,000 kyats (US$4.76) as compared to men who can earn as much as 14,000 kyats (US$6.68) for the same job.
Thazin Aung said that the stereotyping of women as housewives or caregivers is not helpful, but that support needs to be provided to help them build resilience, even as their adaptability to challenging situations, especially in the face of conflict, is recognised. Gender inequality must be seen as a “major factor for social change” and not treated as “secondary and trivial to broader urgencies”, she said.
