Women in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is a sub-region of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: Mainland Southeast Asia (also known as Indochina), comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, and Maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines, Christmas Island, and Singapore. The 11 countries of Southeast Asia include over 600 million people. Despite great linguistic and cultural diversity, the region is characterised by relatively favourable position of women in comparison with neighbouring East or South Asia. The position of women in Southeast Asia is often cited as evidence that women are not universally subjugated to men. This book explains and examines the social system, in the context of women status, in Southeast Asia during the pre-colonial, colonial, and modern periods. Chapter 1 explains the geography of Southeast Asia. Chapter 2 describes the role of women in relation to men in the region. The remaining 11 chapters are devoted to 11 states of the region. Besides, there are 2 appendices, one describing the eminent women who have influenced the social, political and cultural lives of Southeast Asia, and the other narrating the harrowing tales of comfort stations run by the Japanese Imperial Forces during Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) and Pacific War (1941-45).