News For Women Potential Power Of Women In Burma

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28258, 22 April 1957, Page 2

News For Women Potential Power Of Women In Burma

The potential power of women in Burma since the country has achieved its independence was one of the aspects of the nation’s structure which most impressed Mrs Neta Neale, who has returned to Christchurch after living in Burma for two years. Mrs Neale went to Burma with her husband, Mr R. D. Neale, who had a Colombo Plan appointment at the University of Rangoon in charge of the electrical engineering department; Burmese women in the cities had retained the wisdom and charm of .the East, but they were gradually acquiring the sophistication of the West, said Mrs Neale. Women in the country, however, still lived close to the village way of life of pre-independence times. Equal Status Equal opportunity, which had come to the Burmese woman at least in theory, had not robbed her of her femininity. Outwardly, the women deferred to their menfolk, but in a subtle way they were a strong influence on the decisions men made. “A Burmese business man would rarely take an important step without first consulting his wife. If it brought success the wife would let it appear that all credit was due to her husband,” said Mrs Neale. The deference was particularly noticeable in the practice of worship. According to the Buddhist faith, to which 93 per cent, of the population adhered, women were forbidden to enter the inner sanctum of a pagoda. Nor could they place gold leaf on the pagoda walls, an expression of spiritual gratitude and love. Woman’s Prayer When a woman prayed before the symbol of Buddha, she asked that she might return to the earth in her next life as a man. “But this does not mean women are discontented with their lot as women, for they realise their importance in the community as heads of their households and mothers of children.” Mrs Neale said. “It is the woman of the house who is in control of the family, which usually includes her parents, ‘in-laws,’ cousins and other relatives all living on the property.” In such large households there was always someone who would look after the children if their mother wished to go to work.

All the professions were open to women, and many young mothers returned to Rangoon University to complete degrees and take up a career after marriage. Zt was generally recognised that women there had better business brains and were much more energetic than their menfolk.

Plenty of household help was available for those who could afford it. Some families often gave relatives education in return for domestic services. Two Main Meals Two main meals were served a day in the Burmese home, and both had curry as the staple dish, Mrs Neale said. At 7 a.m. coffee was ■ served. Breakfast—a big meal of curry—tame on about 10 a.m., and another large meal of curry was served at 5 p.m. “In between meals constant nibbling goes on,’’ said Mrs Neale. “All day and into the night coffee, tea, biscuits, sweets, nuts and cooked confections are ‘on’ in most households. A visitor can never enter a Burmese home without being offered some kind of food by the hospitable housewife.” Burmese curries were made from a variety of recipes, and al] contained a complex mixture of ingredients. They were not as hot as Indian curries, and were always served with rice. The national food was an acquired taste for the European, particularly ngapi, a paste made from rotten fish and served in foods or on a separate dish. Uninviting as it sounded, ngapi was eaten at least once a day because it had nutritional value which balanced the peoples’ diet. When in their own home in Rangoon, Mr and Mrs Neale had Western-type meals, but when visiting Burmese friends they ate whatever was served to them without any ill effects. When they, in turn, entertained they made a point of serving Burmese, Indian, or Chinese dishes, according to the nationality of their guests. Sign of Times A sign of the times in Burma was the nylon blouse, which younger women wore with their tubular skirts, in place of the usual cotton blouse still worn by their elders. Nylon was frowned upon at first as being immodest because of its transparency, but it had come to be accepted now as part’ of the modern trend in fabric fashions. Mrs Neale, who has been actively interested in the theatre for many years, saw as much Burmese entertainment as possible. Known as “pwe,” the Burmese national form of entertainment was a complex production, and included music, dancing, comedy and classical plays, Mrs Neale said. Programmes sometimes began about 7 p.m., and went through the night to 5 a.m. It was an accepted custom that members of the audience had a nap when they felt so inclined, and were wakened by friends when a climax was being staged, Mrs Neale said.