Myanmar

The southeast Asian country of Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948 and changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989. With a population of 55.4 million (2006 estimate), it has a female life expectancy of 64. Myanmar has a birth rate of 17.9 per 1,000, and an infant mortality rate of 61.9 per 1,000 live births. Currently, 66.0 percent of women age 15 and older are employed.

Birthing and motherhood practices vary among the different ethnic groups that make up Myanmar; most of the groups, such as the Kachins, are patrilineal, but a few others are matrilineal. During the period of British rule—the British seized Lower Burma in 1826, and the rest of the country after two more wars in 1853 and 1886—there was a large influx of Indian migrants into Burma, especially in the urban centers. Together with the British, they built hospitals in all the major cities and towns. This did much to change the nature of birthing practices among the elite, but had little effect in the countryside, where the vast majority of the population resides.

During the 1930s, there was an increase in expenditure by the colonial government on clinics, with doctors and midwives visiting many outlying settlements. During World War II, the infrastructure of the country was badly damaged; with independence in 1948, there was a renewed effort to introducing better health practices in the rural areas. However, this undertaking was disrupted by wars and insurgencies, which took place intermittently over the next four decades.

The assassination of the independence leader Aung San in 1947 removed much of the country's sense of unity, and many of the insurgencies that took place since then have been ascribed to the fact that no government figure has had sufficient prestige to hold the country together. San's widow became Director of Social Services and then served as Burma's Ambassador to India; both she and her daughter Aung San Suu Kyi have long been regarded by many in Burma as role models for women who were not only able to bring up their own families, but also maintain active political careers. In her memoirs, Aung San Suu Kyi wrote of her great respect for her mother having to look after the family. She also relates how she had to separate her role as a mother and as a political figure, and the difficulty in doing so.

Although the health services in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and other cities has improved, it is largely for the benefit of the government and their supporters, as well as for expatriates in the country. However, in spite of the increasing prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the child mortality rate has declined slightly over the last 20 years, as has the rate of infant deaths. However, educational services have suffered badly, and less than half of the country's children complete primary school. The increase in HIV/AIDS has also led to an increase in the use of contraception, but this is practiced by only half of the country's women; however, the country's fertility rate is now 1.95 children per women, the lowest rate in the country's history. The maternal mortality rate is now 360 deaths per 100,000 live births, with 57 percent of births being attended by trained personnel. Abortion is legal in Myanmar only to save the life of the mother, but illegal abortions are believed to be widespread; complications of unsafe abortions are a significant cause of maternal mortality.

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