Women in Charge: The Effect of Rebel Governance and Women’s Organisations on Karen Women’s Political Participation.

POLITICAL participation; WOMEN in politics; CIVIL war; KAREN National Union; MYANMAR politics & government; COMMUNITY organization

What factors affect women’s political participation in wartime? Previous scholarship has found several benefits associated with women’s participation in the peace process and in post-conflict society. However, little is known about what drives women’s political participation during or after civil war. This article addresses the former and examines two factors - the type of civilian governance structure and the degree of autonomy of women’s groups - to determine their effect on women’s participation in communities experiencing conflict. Drawing on fieldwork in Thailand and Burma/Myanmar, this article uses the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karen National Union to explore this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]