Daw Khin Win Yee from K’cho Chin Women Organization said the two leading parties – the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) – did not give space to women although some female candidates from Chin political parties ran in the 2015 Election.

“Why don’t these two parties just try to give space to women? I don’t mean every woman, but there are qualified women who can actually do the work. Women ran [in the election] because other Chin parties gave space to them,” she said.

The Chin State Hluttaw has 24 MPs, comprising 18 elected MPs and 6 Tatmadaw MPs and none of them are women.

Mai Lai Key, who ran as a candidate from the Chin National Democratic Party, said women’s participation in politics is low because men believe women lack political vision.

“The door opened by the men is very narrow. Actually, there are many educated women. They don’t even get a space in village and township level so it’s not easy for them to reach the state level,” she said.

The Chin State Hluttaw Deputy Speaker U Aung Than said women have less interest in running for the state hluttaw.

“The women only run for the Pyithu Hluttaw and the Amyotha Hluttaw so there aren’t any female MPs in the state hluttaw,” he explained.

Although there is no women’s participation in the Chin State Hluttaw, there is one Chin female MP in the Pyithu Hluttaw and two Chin female MPs in the Amyotha Hluttaw.