Historically, women in Myanmar (also known as Burma) have had a unique

social status Social status is the relative level of social value a person is considered to possess. Such social value includes respect, honour, honor, assumed competence, and deference. On one hand, social scientists view status as a "reward" for group members ...

and esteemed women in Burmese society. According to the research done by

Mya Sein Burmese name#Honorifics, Daw Mya Sein (; 13 October 1904 – 10 November 1988) was a Burmese writer, educator and historian. She led the :sv:National Council of Women in Burma, Burma Women's Council, served as a representative of Asia for the Le ...

, Burmese

women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...

"for centuries – even before

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...

" owned a "high measure of independence" and had retained their "legal and economic rights" despite the influences of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. Burma once had a

matriarchal Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, ...

system that includes the exclusive right to inherit

oil well An oil well is a drillhole boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce only gas m ...

s and the right to inherit the position as

village head A village head, village headman or village chief is the community leader of a village or a small town. Usage Brunei In Brunei, village head is called or in the Malay language. It is an administrative post which leads the community of a ...

. Burmese women were also appointed to high offices by Burmese kings, can become chieftainesses and

queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

.Daw Mya Sein
"Women in Burma"
The Atlantic, Atlantic Magazine, February 1958. A Comprehensive History of Women’s Suffrage in Myanmar (Formerly Burma) - WeChronicle

Traditional dress & Protest

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Burmese Clothing Clothing in Myanmar varies depending on the ethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of each region of Myanmar (Burma). The most widely recognized Burmese national costume is the ''longyi'', which is worn by both males ...

The ''htamein'' ( ) is one of the traditional dresses of Burmese women. This skirtcloth or lower body wrapper was worn by women during the

Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...

(1752–1855) as a wrap-around skirt, or sometimes as a folded clothing material placed "tightly across the abdomen slightly left center of the waist". In comparison, Burmese men wore the traditional lower garment known as the ''pahso'' ( ).Falconer, John and Luca Invernizzi Tettoni
Burmese Design and Architecture
Tuttle Publishing, page 189. Superstitions have been tied to Myanmar women and their menstrual materials being directly linked to completely diminish the strength of their strength piritual energythat troops had during battles. While in enemy territory, Myanmar women went against this superstition and were "threatened by tear gas and bullets" while actively placing used menstrual material in the protesting streets.

Marriage

''Main Article:

Marriage in Myanmar In the nation of Myanmar (Burma), certain customs are associated with the institution of marriage. Selecting a partner Most Burmese people find their own life partner, but sometimes they may have an arranged marriage conducted by their parents or ...

Marriages Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

were previously allowed between Burmese women and male foreigners provided that the divisional courts in Burma were informed within 21 days of advance notice. However, in May 2010, the government of Burma disallowed conducting of marriage ceremonies between Burmese women and male foreigners. One of the suggested reasons was to avoid

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

.Thae Thae
''Burmese Women Not Allowed to Marry Foreigners''
The Irrawaddy, 25 May 2010. Burmese women became victims of human traffickers and were traded for the sex industry in Pakistan and Thailand.
Burma/Myanmar, Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women To some extent, arranged marriages was also a part of Burmese tradition, however, the Burmese women have the right to refuse the offer of being betrothed to the parents' chosen partner for her. At present, young Burmese women can choose to marry someone for love.

Women's rights

In 2000, the Asian Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC) published a report entitled ''Human Rights in Burma'' from the ''Forum News'' (August 1998) describing that by tradition, Burmese women are maternal self-abnegators, meaning that these women "consistently forgo their own needs in order to give their children first priority." The report also indicated that rural and urban Burmese women were affected by the deteriorating economic climate in Burma.
Asian Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC), 2000 As a result of British colonialism displacing the country, Burmese families were "increasingly prioritising the rights of men over women to limited resources." These changes affected the access of Burmese women to nutrition, medical services, vocational training, and other educational opportunities. Burmese women became unwilling porters and unpaid labourers for the military, including becoming victims of slavery, murder, torture, rape, and attacks. Historically, urban Burmese women "enjoyed high levels of social power" but later became confronted with restrictions on speech and limitations in acquiring high level positions in both private and public offices. According to AWORC, only a few number of Burmese women receive education related to reproductive rights and safe birth control practices, thus making them prone to being infected by HIV and AIDS. The women's rights movement in Burma started with the Burmese Women's Association in 1919. In January 2008, BBC News featured Burmese

Kayan Lahwi The Kayan are a subgroup of the Red Karen ( Karenni people), a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Myanmar (Burma). The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, ), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Kadao, Kayan La ...

women who became tourist attractions in Thailand because of the tradition of wearing coils of brass around their necks. The rings of brass push the "women's shoulders and ribs down" throughout several years giving the effect as if the necks had been stretched, thus described as sporting "unnaturally long,

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

-like necks."Harding, Andrew
Burmese women in Thai 'human zoo'
30 January 2008. In Wa State, the

Wa Women's Association Wa Women's Association is a human rights organisation based in Wa State, Myanmar. The organisation supports women's rights and promote charitable and Wa cultural programmes, for example through dance and promotion of the Wa script. In 1990s th ...

coordinates philanthropic activities, cares for orphans and promotes cultural heritage.

Myanmar Armed Forces

''Supporting Article:

Min Aung Hlaing Min Aung Hlaing (born 3 July 1956) is a Burmese army general who has ruled Myanmar as the chairman of the State Administration Council, chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) since seizing power in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Fe ...

'' In 2014, The Irrawaddy published a newsletter entitled ''For First Time in 50 Years, Burma's Military Welcomes Women Officers'' describing that Women Military Cadets existing from Burma's Defense Service Academy. The Commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, attended this ceremony with a conclusive thought that Burma governmental agencies hold "renewed vigor" because of the graduating class. Gaining their independence from the British in 1948, women were allowed to join the military around this interval however, limits were still placed on the positions they could equip and trainings they could participate in which has its own strict requirements also. Myanmar women were physically blockaded from joining "armed forces under the military regimes that controlled Burma from 1962 until 2011".

References

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