| dc.description.abstract | The peace process in Myanmar has until now failed to integrate practices of gender equality. This
is evident from the statistics of women’s participation at the peace table, which remains below the
fixed quota of 30%. This research aims to identify the principle factors limiting women’s
participation in Myanmar’s peace process, and to assess how effective international and national
efforts have been in the promotion of women’s meaningful engagement in the future. Initially, the
case studies of Colombia, Northern Ireland and Guatemala are investigated in order to ascertain
the principle factors that have limited women’s participation internationally. The research also
considers the importance of international frameworks against the backdrop of Myanmar. The
analysis is therefore placed firmly in a global and historical context, before moving on to a detailed
study of the challenges faced by women in Myanmar specifically. The discussion is heavily
informed by a series of eleven interviews conducted predominantly with women who are working
centrally in the campaign for greater women’s participation in the peace process in Myanmar. The
voices and experiences of the individuals interviewed are placed at the forefront of the research to
shed light on the challenges faced in improving women’s participation, and to introduce new
interpretations and understandings to the historical narrative. In doing so, this research argues that
social, cultural, strategic and structural barriers are the principle factors contributing towards
women’s limited participation in Myanmar’s peace process. In light of these challenges, and
despite the value of international norms and frameworks, it argues that the driving force for
genuine social and political transformation at the national level will need to come from within
Myanmar itself: from the high level political structures and the key stakeholders in the formal
peace process, but also from the grassroots, including women’s organizations and civil society. | |
