| Overview : Women’s participation in subnational governance in Myanmar is limited. Particularly at the lowest levels of governance i.e. the township and village tract/ward level, few women can be found. Women account for less than 3 percent of MPs in Myanmar’s state and region parliaments and ministers in Myanmar’s state and region governments, and according to figures from the General Administration Department there are 0 women Township Administrators (out of a total of 330), and 29 women Village Tract Administrators (out of a total of 16743). Whilst Township Administrators are appointed, whereby in theory it is possible that a woman is appointed Township Administrator, Village Tract Administrators are elected (since the enactment of the 2012 Ward or Village Tract Administration Law).
Barriers to women’s participation and leadership in governance have been widely researched and include limited skills and experience, limited intra-household bargaining power, time constraints, stereotypes/cultural and religious norms, and lack of confidence (UNDP, 2012). Whilst there is generally a high level of gender equality in education attainment, women are perceived as less knowledgeable and capable than men, especially in administrative affairs. In addition, they are responsible for household affairs and childcare, and as such have limited time left for leadership positions. They are also not expected to travel outside of the village alone overnight; travel that normally forms a part of leadership roles including village tract/ward administration.
The fact of there being 29 female VTAs confirms these barriers, but also shows that there are exceptions and that these barriers can be overcome. The proposed film seeks to capture the story of a selected number of women that have overcome these barriers and are fulfilling the role of Village Tract Administrator in their community.
The objectives of this assignment are to prepare a script, and shoot and produce a film that will portray a number of women Village Tract Administrators, shedding light on their motivation, how they succeeded at being elected as VTAs, how they see their own (leadership) role and how they carry out their leadership role in the village tract/ward, how they might be changing local dynamics and what they have achieved so far, how they are perceived by the community, and their vision for the future. In order to capture this, the film should include interviews with a selected number of women Village Tract Administrators, as well as with other administrators and members of communities. Other interviews and footage are to be explored.
The target audience is the Government of Myanmar, development partners, the general audience in Myanmar, and UNDP globally. The video film will be provided in simple Myanmar with English subtitles to be easily understood. Clips of the +/- 15 minutes film will be premiered during the Local Governance Forum 16-18 December 2014. The whole film must be completed by mid February 2015. |
