13.05.2007
Womenomics in Burma
_ By Ko Sala
“Salesperson Required – Female, Age up to 24 years old required …”
(A job advert on a shop window in Rangoon)
I was not only grappled by the content of the advert which depicts sexism and ageism but the pronounced discrimination in the labours market. No doubt, military junta is not accountable for private businesses using discriminatory employment practices. The apathetic individuals in Burma, who milk out of military ruler and poverty, urged me to celebrate the fact that young female of Burma are being employed. After all I was not in the country to spark off a revolution or to impose Western ideologies upon Myanmar’s citizen.
What matters to me the most is the working life span of women in comparison to men. The advert clearly signifies young women’s contribution in generating income for the country’s oligarchs. It also manifest that the employers in Burma have learnt to exploit and capitalise young females in their primes. Behind the veil of apparent exploitation of women, I witnessed an array of economic activities in which women play a crucial role in modern Burma. Not to mention, a few men with bullets are extremely frightened of this woman under house arrest too.
I came across an increasing number of rich men’s wives who are into managing their husband’s income. They diversify cash income into other income generating investments such as property and jewellery. The general’s wives are the best example of such an economic activity but gossip magazines in the country are censored from writing about their wealth. The irony is that the madam generals too are cunningly clever in bragging about acquisition of wealth. They do so through an alternative media such as rumours through word of mouth. The supper rich women are not physically exploited as a young beautiful 16 – 24 years old girl from a poor family but I don’t seem to understand how they cope with their husbands wondering around with different prostitutes.
U Chan Da* invited me to his house for dinner and bragged about his affluence and patronisingly condemned me for living in UK but ironically he took a grate pride in informing that his children speak English. He and his wife went as far as asking one of their children to recite “ba ba black sheep” rhyme to me. I never explained to them that in liberal multicultural Britain, the “ba ba black sheep” rhyme is a controversial subject matter. Chan Da’s wife was covered with “bling bling” jewellery, she almost came across as someone dressed to impress the foreign imperialist guest or expatriate like me. The family went on bragging about two “live in” female servants during the dinner. It mesmerised me to realise that Chan Da measured everything with status symbols.
The driver came to pick us after dinner to go to beer station (bar). At the beer station in down town we were joined by several other loaded friends of U Chan Da. He asked me if I had several girlfriends in liberal Britain. I avoided answering his question and U Cha Da volunteered without my consent to find me several girlfriends. I refused politely and thanked him for his concerns and hospitality. He claimed to have several girlfriends. I wondered how he manages to go out with several girl friends. My inquisition began and he reveals that his wife is content with his money, servants and status in society. His wife is also said to be an expert on property investment.
We moved to the Karaoke room at the beer station and Chan Da declared to introduce me to his girlfriends. It turned out be the prostitutes from the bar. One of the girls happened to have worked in one of the garment factories that anti-sanction campaigners in the West are trying to populate across Burma. The girl claimed that the factory she worked in paid poorly and the employees on the floor in the production line are allowed to go use the toilet only twice a day. I don’t blame the prostitutes who earn their living for survival. The supper rich women can continue to be content with their husbands’ income and invest in property or ornament and love purely mediated through money. The women from deprived family in Burma have short working life span and their exploitation is more pronounced under military junta. Yet, their contribution in running the unworkable economy cannot be neglected. It is the responsibility of irresponsible military government to bring about gender equality with legislation to curb the employers who practices discrimination in their recruitment process.
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Comments:
Feraya said _
I wonder who is exploiting who in the Chan Da marriage? The Mrs. with her bling bling, status in society and servants, or Chan Da with his sexual freedom? I agree that gender equality and legislation to curb the employers from discrimination and exploitation of women is very much needed in Burma, amongst many other things.
Ko Sala replied _
Apologies for my last article “Womenomics In Burma” which may have caused confusion between exploitation and significance of women’s contribution in the economic activity of the country.
I intended to highlight significance of women’s contribution to the country’s economy with off course underlying exploitations. In my example of dinner at Chan Da’s house, I wanted to paint picture of how his wife excelled in asset management business by diversifying her husband’s income. It is remarkable how his wife manages family’s income whilst Chan Da leads hedonistic lifestyle by sexually exploiting poverty stricken girls. The business in Burma continue to exploit women because the ruler allows them do so.
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