Guardians of the nation - and the wives and mothers they protect: A study of women's exclusion from the Myanmar peace process
Author
Pedersen, Ria Westergaard
Term
4. term
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-07-29
Pages
48
Abstract
After more than 60 years of civil war, Myanmar launched a nationwide peace process in 2011, yet despite the National Ceasefire Agreement’s stated commitment to inclusion, negotiations and public leadership remained overwhelmingly male. This thesis asks why women are excluded from Myanmar’s peace process, applying a gender lens informed by theories of militarized masculinity, the myth of protection, and imagined peace. It argues that the Tatmadaw has shaped gendered, dichotomous roles that equate protection and leadership with men and vulnerability and care with women, thereby legitimizing women’s marginalization in peace efforts. During the conflict, women and civil society challenged these norms and the military admitted some female recruits, but a gendered division of labor persisted; the first female officers appeared only in 2014. Institutional arrangements compound exclusion: the 2008 constitution entrenches the military’s autonomy, influence over parliament, and a 25% reserved bloc filled from a largely male pipeline, further restricting women’s access to power and the peace process. Continued military influence reduces political will to contest gender hierarchies, leaving women’s participation limited despite rhetorical commitments.
Efter mere end 60 års borgerkrig igangsatte Myanmar i 2011 en landsdækkende fredsproces, men på trods af intentioner om inklusion i National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) forblev forhandlinger og offentlig ledelse stærkt mandsdominerede. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvorfor kvinder er udelukket fra Myanmars fredsproces, ved at anlægge et kønsperspektiv med udgangspunkt i teorier om militariseret maskulinitet, myten om beskyttelse og forestillet fred. Analysen argumenterer for, at Tatmadaw har formet kønnede, dikotome roller, hvor beskyttelse og lederskab forbindes med mænd, mens sårbarhed og omsorg tilskrives kvinder, hvilket legitimerer kvinders usynlighed i fredsindsatsen. Under konflikten udfordrede kvinder og civilsamfundet disse normer, og militæret åbnede i begrænset omfang for kvindelige rekrutter, men en kønnet arbejdsdeling og hierarki bestod; først i 2014 kom de første kvindelige officerer. Institutionelle forhold forstærker udelukkelsen: 2008-forfatningen sikrer militærets autonomi, indflydelse over parlamentet og 25 % reserverede mandater, som rekrutteres fra en i praksis mandlig pipeline, hvilket yderligere begrænser kvinders adgang til magt og fredsprocessen. Den fortsatte militære indflydelse svækker den politiske vilje til at udfordre kønsrollerne, så kvinders deltagelse forbliver begrænset på trods af formelle hensigtserklæringer.
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