A. Progress and Key Challenges: 1. Myanmar ranks 96 out of 146 countries in the 2011 Gender Inequality Index (GII), ahead of Cambodia and Lao PDR, ranked 99 and 107, respectively. 1 It has achieved gender parity in education with regard to enrollment ratios of girls and boys in primary and secondary education. However, disaggregated analysis points to gender disparities in some of the poorest rural areas. 2 Women in Myanmar enjoy equal rights in inheritance laws and equal marital property rights in the case of divorce. However, patriarchal cultural values related to women?s roles and responsibilities still shape familial relationships, contribute to the gendered division of labour and limit women?s participation in decision making at all levels. Key issues of concern include: high maternal mortality ratio and insufficient access to reproductive and basic health services; low levels of women?s participation in public decision making and in the labour market, increasing HIV among women and lack of reliable and sex-disaggregated data across all sectors which hampers evidence-based policy and programme interventions. Gender disparities are more marked in rural areas and amongst some ethnic groups...Education...Health...Water and Sanitation...Electricity...Economic empowerment...Public decision-making ["In Myanmar, only 4% of parliamentary seats are held by women..."]...Gender based violence...Institutional Assessment...ADB Gender Strategy...