Four in ten women left without income as Myanmar’s conflict economy deepens inequality, new UNDP–UN Women report finds

[Joint press release]

Bangkok, Thailand — A new report from UNDP and UN Women finds that Myanmar women face systematic barriers to work, income and economic independence, while they increasingly shoulder the brunt of responsibility for their households as conflict, mass displacement and economic collapse define daily life across the country.

“Uneven Burdens: Women in Myanmar's Crisis Economy,” finds that 42 percent of women have no income at all, compared to 23 percent of men, and that employed women earn just 79 percent of what men earn, while carrying nearly double the unpaid care burden regardless of whether they are in work.

Conflict is deepening the gender divide across Myanmar's economy. In high-conflict areas, women's employment falls to 62 percent compared to 82 percent for men, a gap of nearly 20 percentage points. In areas of low or no conflict, women's employment is comparable to or marginally exceeds men's, indicating that conflict itself, through mobility restrictions, service withdrawals and heightened care demands, is driving the gap.

"In parts of Myanmar where the ongoing conflict is most intense, the socioeconomic and leadership gaps between men and women widen sharply, with women cutting off sharply from income, assets, and decision-making," said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. "Recovery efforts must directly address women’s incomes, invest in women’s businesses and strengthen their agency. Our work with urban and rural communities shows how quickly this can shift outcomes on well-being and stability, not only for women, but for families and local economies”.

Key findings include:

• Incomes fall far short of basic needs: median monthly income for employed women is less than half the minimum cost of meeting basic household needs. The average household requires 2.4 income earners just to get by.
• Unpaid care responsibilities are a major driver of women’s economic exclusion: nearly eight in ten women outside the labour force cite caregiving as their main reason for not working, compared to 26 percent of men, while women spend almost twice as many hours on unpaid care and household work each day as men.
• Conflict sharply widens gender inequalities: in high conflict affected areas, women’s employment drops to 62 percent compared to 82 percent for men. In Kayah, only 38 percent of women are employed compared to 67 percent of men, and just 12 percent of women are food secure, compared to 18 percent of men.
• Women have significantly less access to productive assets: among agricultural workers, 49 percent of women own land compared to 64 percent of men; business ownership stands at 8 percent for women versus 16 percent for men.
• Entrenched attitudes reinforce economic inequality: 35 percent of men and 33 percent of women believe men should be paid more for the same job, and nearly half of men believe major household decisions should be made solely by men.

"As conflict separates families and communities, women are left to assume responsibility for keeping families safe, together and fed, while carrying an unpaid care burden that recovery programmes rarely recognise or resource. Recovery that ignores that burden will reinforce inequalities," said Christine Arab, UN Women Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.

The report warns that recovery efforts focused only on expanding livelihoods will not be sufficient. It identifies gender-responsive recovery measures including investment in care services, support for women entrepreneurs, protection of women's land and property rights, and targeted livelihood programmes in conflict-affected areas.

 

Report downloads: Uneven Burdens: Women in Myanmar's Crisis Economy

Background

Uneven Burdens: Women in Myanmar's Crisis Economy draws on the Myanmar Gender Survey, a nationally representative survey of 5,405 individuals aged 15 and above from all states and regions including from conflict and non-conflict areas, conducted jointly by UNDP and UN Women between January and April 2025. The report examines how gender norms, unpaid care responsibilities, conflict and economic disruption shape women's labour force participation, income, asset ownership and food security outcomes.

Media contacts:

UN Women — In Bangkok: 
Alexandra Peard
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UNDP — In Yangon: 
Elena G. Sosa
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In Bangkok: 
Aminath Mihdharau
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