Many nations of Myanmar’s size – geographic land area and number of population – use a federal model, where states have a lot of independence and the union level looks after key legislation and foreign policies.  There has been talk of establishing a federal model in Myanmar, and many people are in favour of it. Adopting a federal model would require the rewriting of the Constitution of 2008. This reform would, to a great deal, change the legislative role of the state level parliaments.

UN Women has even produced a research report looking at possible advantages and disadvantages of a federal model from the gender equality point of view: Advancing Gender Equality within a Federal Governance Model in Myanmar.[i]