This story follows how one young educator, shaped by personal experience and professional training, is using gender research to challenge stereotypes and promote inclusion in Myanmar’s education system. From advocating for gender-responsive classrooms to pushing for systemic reform, he is helping build safer, more inclusive spaces for all learners.
Background
My name is Arkar. Before the military coup in Myanmar, I was a student. Ater the coup, my formal learning journey stopped, and I started working as a freelance life skills educator, where I taught young people aged 14 to 20 in charity-run and orphanage schools. The subjects I taught included moral education, communication, problem-solving, and stress management.
Back then, I didn’t have a clear understanding of gender as a concept. However, I began to question the way I was treated based on assumptions of my gender. I was assigned male at birth and presented that way, but my behavior and expressions were often described as “feminine.” Because of that, people labeled me as gay or dismissed me as someone who didn’t behave like a “real man.”
Even at home, when it came to household chores, I was always given tasks considered “feminine,” like cooking. Over time, I started suppressing my own preferences regarding appearance. I chose clothes and colors that seemed more traditionally masculine, just to avoid judgment. It was emotionally exhausting, to say the least.
After the coup, I joined a Training of Trainers (TOT) program for volunteer educators organized by NGOs. It was a gender awareness training, the first one I ever attended, and it completely changed how I viewed myself and the world. With the support from Gender Lab, I also joined a Gender Analysis Research Skills Training course led by Gender Academy. That experience allowed me to explore gender issues more deeply and changed the way I think, feel, and act.
Significant Changes Through Advanced Knowledge: Theory into Practice
What stood out to me about the training was that it went beyond just gender concepts and theory. We also learned how to carry out gender-sensitive research and apply it into practice.
After the coup, many community-led “interim schools” were established through the Civil Disobedience Movement. I conducted a study to explore how gender was being addressed in those new learning spaces where I focused on gender awareness of teachers in those schools. As a teacher, I believed that such a study could be useful for improving the learning environment with greater gender equality.
That research experience helped me process the discrimination I had once silently endured. I started to see myself not as a victim of social expectations, but as someone who could actively challenge them. I had moved from a place of passive endurance to one of informed action. And my confidence as a researcher — and as a young changemaker — grew stronger.
Since then, I’ve taken on new projects. I led a WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) assessment applying gender-sensitive practices. Leading this project with clarity, nuance and tools, showed me how far I have come professionally and personally.
Efforts for Change: Gender Awareness starts with Teachers
At first, I assumed that those involved in Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement would naturally embrace gender equality. However, I quickly learned that wasn’t the case. Even among people fighting for freedom and justice, gender stereotypes remained deeply ingrained.
From my observation through that study with Myanmar teachers, only one out of five people had truly shifted their views about gender equality. Many women still believed that leadership roles weren’t meant for them: Female teachers often saw themselves as responsible only for teaching, while men were expected to handle management and decision-making.
That’s why I’ve focused my next efforts on the education sector. If we want to change the way young people think about gender, we need to start with their teachers. Through the research project during my training, I was able to gather real insights about gender awareness in schools and started sharing these recommendations in group discussions with teachers, encouraging schools to include gender education in their teacher training.
I’ve also made a practical recommendation which included: schools providing unisex toilets, in addition to separate male and female facilities. On the surface, it’s a simple change, but for many students, it makes a real difference in how safe and included they feel at school.
My goal is to help create learning environments where everyone feels valued and respected — no matter their gender identity.
Toward Sustainable Change: Curricular Reform for Gender Inclusivity
Beyond improving teacher training, I’m also pushing for broader curriculum reform. When textbooks are revised or new materials are developed, they should include examples and illustrations that represent diverse gender identities — not just the binary of “boys and girls.”
If we want children to grow up with respect for others, we need to reflect diversity in their daily learning materials. It’s time to move beyond outdated images of “one-size-fits-all” families and instead show a range of real, lived experiences.
Real change needs to start in the classroom where values are shaped. From there, we can gradually build a more inclusive and equal society.
Inclusion shouldn’t be an afterthought — it should be built into the way we plan, allocate, and spend resources. That’s why I’ve also been advocating for gender-responsive budgeting in the education sector. True equality means that every student, not just the most visible, is supported through policies, programs, and funding.
Evidence of Change: Changing Engrained Gender Narratives
Shifting deeply ingrained beliefs doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with personal reflection, then it slowly extends to those around you and eventually begins to influence entire communities.
In the past, I stayed quiet. Even when I was treated unfairly, I accepted it without protesting. I didn’t think I had the power to change anything. Now, I see myself differently, speak up loudly and advocate for justice. I’ve gone from someone who quietly endured injustice to someone who takes action to challenge it.
I am currently working to support my fellow educators in shifting their thinking towards more inclusive gender views. It’s a slow process — but I believe small changes in perspective are the key step that leads to larger transformations.
Final Thoughts on Learning
Gender is often a sensitive topic, especially in conservative settings. During my life skills training sessions for young people that did not have access to formal education, we often held classes in Buddhist monasteries, and churches. Those religious leaders were not bothered discussing basic gender topics such as male and female. However, whenever I mentioned anything related to LGBTQ+ issues, they pushed back. Sometimes, they would ask us to remove those parts of the curriculum entirely.
Instead of arguing, I adapted. I stopped labeling those lessons as “LGBTQ+ content,” but found ways to integrate them into broader discussions. I learned to speak in ways that were strategic, not confrontational.
It showed me that when we deal with sensitive issues, it requires a thoughtful approach. That does not mean staying silent; it means finding the language and approach that makes your message more likely to be heard.
And when we talk about gender, it is important that the discussion is not only focusing on women. Men and LGBTQ+ people need to be part of it, too. I say this not only as someone who believes in equality, but as someone who has personally experienced how patriarchy limits us all.
That’s why I’m so grateful to the Gender Academy and Gender Lab for giving me the opportunity to grow through their gender research training. It didn’t just change how I see gender — it changed how I see myself.