The first thematic topic for GenderLab 2023 series is “Gender and Federalism in Myanmar”. Federalism has been placed high on the political agenda and debate in Myanmar because of the current political situation. And CSOs in particular have been advocating for it as an alternative political structure against the centralized military dictatorship. Women leaders envisage the establishment of a genuine and inclusive federal union, where both women and men will have equal voices in addressing the root causes of unresolved conflict in Myanmar. However, noting the challenges in women’s political participation in the pre-coup period, such as equal political participation of women and men, and also those of different ethnicities, age, and class groups may not happen automatically.
For instance, if and how will women be given increased leadership or rights under a federalist form of democracy? Is increased control of the policy process at the local and state level conducive to gender equality? And how can we benefit from more equal decision-making under federalism while avoiding potential regressive and gender-unequal control by patriarchal capture of power dynamics at the local level? Whether federalism increases the political space for women or not and how this can be done is yet to be fully considered and discussed. This talk series therefore will contribute to the ongoing discussions on federalism, in the context of contemporary Myanmar, from a gender perspective.
The following four areas are to be covered under the first GenderLab Talk Series on “Gender and Federalism in Myanmar”.
- Principle of Democracy and Federalism
- Advancing Gender Equality in Federalism
- Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in the Federal Constitution
- Gender and Federalism in Myanmar
Two complimentary approaches will be adopted for the series of talks: technical/academic enhancement by global and regional scholars; and narratives from the ground by experienced community leaders by using the online Zoom platform. The talks will be in Myanmar language with bi-lingual resource materials for participants. The talks may also be followed by subsequent dialogue if participants’ interests are arising. The GenderLab team would like to invite you to join our talks and stay tuned with us too!!
