Women s Empowerment in Nepal:

Jessica Kramer Women s Empowerment in Nepal: Literacy, Employment & Political participation Nepal, a landlocked country between India and China that is ethnically diverse with 28 million people. It ranks number twelve in all of South Asia s poor countries. Their causes for poverty include: their geographical location making them dependent on neighboring countries for their external trade and suffer from high trade transaction costs rapid population growth- making it hard for poverty improvements gender inequality in all forms- structural barriers for women illiteracy old technology if any caste systems In 2006, the country emerged from a ten-year-long armed internal conflict between the Nepali 1

government and the Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist, which resulted in a wide range of human rights. The conflict had severe consequences for women, who became vulnerable to all forms of violence, including rape, torture and trafficking. The absence of men who joined the fight, fled or migrated to look for alternative employment to support their families, which led to a lot of the women to take all responsibility of the household work. With the conflict going on, the women became empowered to step out into the public life, where they engaged in the activities the men would do. Some of them joined the Maoist movement, where they took up several roles such as cooking, becoming a solider to help fight for their rights and become medical supporters. Most of these actions were well outside of the cultural barriers within the Nepali society. Women played an active role by participating in peaceful demonstrations campaigning for peace and democracy. The outcome was concluded with the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Accord in November 2006. The caste system discrimination may be illegal now, but it still is deeply ingrained in people. India s caste system is perhaps the longest surviving social hierarchy, so therefore Nepal s caste system is highly influenced by India s. Even with Nepal s 1990 constitution prohibiting discrimination on the basis of caste, as also sex, religion, ideology and race, an exception was created for Hindu religious practices. With this, Dalits (Untouchables) are legally excluded from Hindu temples and rituals. They have their own stores and restaurants and even are banned from farming sheds where higher castes believe they will pollute cows which they milk from. Nepal has a very patriarchal society. There are many beautiful aspects of the culture with its food, festivities, beautiful clothing and arts. But in a way, there are two cultures, because the lives of males and the lives of females are traditionally conducted in parallel. When it comes to women s empowerment in education, employment and 2

political involvements, there is no doubt that there is a barrier between men and women. Regardless of which caste the woman may belong in, they will always be inferior to the men. Social status of Nepalese women: Nepali women are born into a patriarchal society. In all cases women s rights are subordinate to those of men. Married early, with little or no education, no land rights or independent income, women are a voiceless section of society, dependent on men for their welfare and bearing the weight of cultural and social discrimination and violence against them. With a patriarchal society and ignorance of the law delays its progress towards gender equality. Although, currently inequality is improving but very slowly. The women are given lower education compared to their male partners. But few Nepali women enter skilled work and leadership in the private and public sectors, it remains difficult for women to find role models and new opportunities. If they have the chance to work, they are very often paid less than the men in the same line of labor. The women are often abused emotionally and physically within their household and labor force, which further contributes to their negative self-image and low personal expectations. We would think it being 2016 that women s discrimination is in the past, but as we see, it clearly is not. It is reality and it is their culture, so with that they do not consider this a bad trait. With Nepal s gender inequality, it does not help with their large very low human development index. Without gender equality within education opportunities, equal employment, society inclusion and political say, Nepal will stay an underdeveloped country unless there are big movements. Health for Nepalese women is also an issue. According to the United Nations, Nepalese women s health, and nutrition situation of women in remains very poor, particularly in rural areas. Statistics show that one out of every 24 Nepali women will die during pregnancy or child birth, making reproductive health care a major focus of intervention. Women s literacy: One of the biggest problems in Nepal s education system is female education. It was not until the 1950s when female education was 3

finally offered, but this did not mean all women automatically went to school. There are major issues in women s education. Low absolute levels of female education (literacy rates and educational attainment) Poor enrollment rates due to lack of household resources; lack of sense of importance since girls will marry; girls workload at home; high school fees; lack of The women in higher castes are more tied down than the lower caste women, but they have more schools and opportunities for employment and education if they choose to. The lower caste women have more freedom but they are limited to their education, if any at all because of the burden of the household chores and disapproval from the men. Another issue in relation to women s education is that parents do not have enough money to ensure female teachers or adequate facilities Women do not need to go to school. Their place is to be at home to take care of the household and children. These are the thoughts of the Nepalese culture. The men are meant to be the breadwinners of the family while the women are only viewed as domestic and maternal that is all within the household. I believe this is more of a masculinity thing than believing women are not good enough for an education of their own. Many young girls drop out of school because they cannot handle the abuse and burden of the household work. They are most the time married off and having children by the age of nineteen years old. their children have access to proper education. The issue of poverty is taking a toll on Nepal s education system. Nepal s school system is really fairly new and continuing to develop, but there is still limited access to public schools. This limited access is a result of isolation of women from continuing education which leads families into poverty. 4

The lack of education limits their self- feeling worthiness, decreases family income, increases active, their role as manual laborers and mentors is cut. Limited access to education and productive health risk, puts women at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and limits the economic advancement of entire countries. It is reality that women discrimination in different forms occur globally. As of October 8, 2016, reports have been made that Nepal s population of ages 15 and older, the literacy rate of men is 76.5% compared to women s whose is estimated at 53.1%. While women become more knowledgeable and obtain skills, they can advance themselves and the country in many ways such as: Individual health decisions to properly keep themselves safe assets such as property and credit confines many to unskilled jobs in the agricultural sector. Working women are often self-employed, but cannot rise above subsistence farming without credit or training in modern farming practices. Help reduce rapid population growth, which contributes to the poverty issue Encourages women to be aware of their human rights and participation within their society, such as being in the labor force. Employment issues: According to the United Nations, Nepal is the Major issues in women and economy: Women as unpaid family workers in subsistence agriculture. Low level of technology and primitive farming practices. Long work hours; carrying the double burden of work in the family and farm; their contribution to income generation and second poorest nation in Asia by per-capita GDP. While 40 percent of women are economically 5

economic wellbeing of the family is not recognized. Poor access to credit and marketing networks. Poor self-confidence. Social and cultural barriers such as exclusive responsibility for household work, restrictions on mobility etc. Women s economic empowerment has been a much talked about issue both by feminists and development actors globally and in Nepal. However, much of the thinking and action have so far been focused on enhancing women s participation and addressing discrimination in the labor force. The issue of unpaid care work remains largely unrecognized and its significance to women s economic empowerment remains unrecognized. Lack of serious consideration from the state, private sector and family continues to adversely impact the lives of many women who juggle between paid work and unpaid. Education is a stepping stone; being able to contribute and have a voice in their society. Gaining proper skills and training are essential for women are often encouraged to apply for the job 6 opportunity, but a very small amount of them gain the position because they do not meet the qualifications- often are unable to read to fill out the application itself. It all reverts back to education and early development. It is a key part of strategies to improve not only the individuals well-being but also the societies social development. Even with women s qualifications in the work force, they still are treated poorly. They often are sexually harassed by men. Most the time women do not speak up about their harassment due to the threatening of losing their job or have their work hours severely reduced. With the low amount of education most of the women are entering the work force at unskilled labor where they often are vending, petty trading and selling crops. In rural areas, the employment outside the household generally are limited to planting, weeding, and harvesting. In urban areas, they were employed in domestic and traditional jobs that are in the lowest-level in the sector. Women in rural areas need education, awareness and skill training to increase their personal income and this economic input in family helps to initiate women s empowerment. Skill training of any

handicraft product, rising agricultural productivity can be efficient way to increase women s income in a family. The association between educational recognition and employment shows that 61% of employed females age 15 and above have never attended school, 20.3% have attained less than primary to primary level education, and 15% have attained lower secondary to secondary level education, Working women are often self-employed, but cannot rise above subsistence farming without credit or training in modern farming practices. Political participation: As we can see by now we know Nepal is characterized by a strong patriarchal culture, where women traditionally have been marginalized from participating in public life. The tradition for women s organizations in Nepal dates back to 1948, when the Nepal Women s Association was formed to raise political and social awareness among women and to protest against the government s refusal to give women voting rights. In the early 1990s, a number of socially and politically oriented women s organizations were created, but during Nepal s armed conflict (1996-7 2006), Nepal saw a new wave of women s political engagement during the People s Movement in April 2006, women from civil society took to the streets to demand peace and democracy. Since then, a myriad of active women s organizations has been operating in Nepal, with a variety of priorities, activities and target groups. Some of the women s organizations are associated with political parties, while others represent specific ethnic, caste and religious groups or geographic regions. Many of the organizations work across the whole country, but most of them have their base that operates in Kathmandu, and are generally staffed by the women. Women s political representation is better today than ever before, but ensuring that the work of these relatively newly elected women remains a challenge. One of the NGOs working for women s empowerment is the Women s Foundation of Nepal, which works to amend laws that ban greater involvement of women in politics. It acts as a networking center and emergency shelter and offers job training, micro-credit loans and literacy classes. Most women continue to be trapped in a traditional role that does not allow them to be visible in the

public and political spheres, and from which they find it hard to break out after stepping into politics. In order for women to gain their confidence back and help with their capabilities, they need training and programs that can provide them with technical skills. With help from such programs they will be able to build their self-confidence up which will help them express themselves and their opinions. Women have had the right to vote and to stand for election since 1951 and the government in 1991 ratified the CEDAW without any reservations, women s have long been silenced in Nepal. Women have traditionally had little opportunity to participate actively in political life, with few or no women represented in the legislative, judiciary and executive bodies. However, women had never compromised more than 6% of Nepal s parliamentarians before 2007, and the few women in political positions were mostly limited to the upper caste or were close relatives of male politicians, and largely subordinate to make members and leaders. It was not until April 2008 when the elections to a new Constituent Assembly represented a milestone and an important victory for Nepali women. Nearly 8 3,500 women contested in the elections, making up about 35% of all candidates, and on election day women outnumbered men as voters! But even so, Nepali women were still not off the hook within their gender barrier. Women s effective participation in decision-making is still hindered by a pervasive male domination inside the political parties. Nepal is still a male-dominated society. There s a tendency of leaders to think that women aren t as capable as men when it comes to important decision-making. A factor to as why women have such a difficult time to be included in the political system is their limited education and literacy capacity, along with a lack of political experience and knowledge about the system. This is a reminder as to why education is a stepping stone- it opens more doors for the individual. There is no doubt with all the challenges women face in the increased women s representation in the Constituent Assembly has opened up new opportunities for women to participate in decisionmaking in the crucial post-conflict period in Nepal. The female members of the legislature also have more diverse backgrounds than before, representing

different geographical areas, castes and ethnic groups. This has contributed to raising awareness with a diversity of women that they have a right to participate in politics if they wish to. The Nepali government has taken steps to improve the rights and protection of women on paper, but the implementation of these strategies are weak. Reports indicated that domestic violence, dowry deaths and sexual violence are on the rise, and that the most perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence continue to slip through the Nepali criminal justice system. This inevitably raises doubts as to whether the legal advances have done anything to actually improve the lives of the women. Since the 2008 elections, the activities of Nepal s women s organizations have been more split, but for some actions to further promote the participation of women in politics have been made. For instance, in 2008 the Inter-Party Women s Alliance launched a campaign called Mission 50-50, aimed at ensuring equal representation and more meaningful participation of women at all levels of the state, and Since 2008, many of the efforts to promote women s rights and protection have been directed towards the constitution-drafting committees. A large number of women s organizations and networks have developed charters with specific recommendations about what needs to be included in the new constitution in order to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. There has been international participation such as the NGOs. They have made important contributions to women s, Dalit, and Janajati movements. They have helped with the access of health, education and literacy along with economical tools. They have also helped the women to be involved in voter education and national level lobbying for women s rights. With women sticking together to fight for their rights, it eventually going to make a positive difference. Help from the international community has undoubtedly made a difference in the women s movements. With external help there is more outside stronger knowledge on knowing how to achieve humanrights such as: Helping instrument their own ideas the Forum for Women, Law and Development. 9

Activities, such as participating in voting and fighting for their rights the decision making to the public s understanding. While the Nepalese government has made some effort to lower some of the structural barriers to women s participation in formal politics, there is still a considerable amount of room for improvement, which will take more time with stronger fights. In order to build space for women to participate in and influence political decision-making, it is essential that the Nepali governments: 1) Order increased women s representation in leadership positions. The government should introduce policies that please political parties to better involve measures for gender equality, to ensure that women participate and hold some decision-making in all forms. 2) The government should acknowledge women s organizations. They should communicate with them to understand the women s concerns and needs. 3) Promote women s participation in the political decision-making by emphasizing the importance of women s participation in 10 Not only should the government and political parties of Nepal be proactive about women s concerns, but SAARC should do more to become more involved with the women s organizations. They should: 1) Monitor the government s actions. They need to hold the governments accountable for the commitments to international policies, to be sure they do not back out of their word. 2) Help reach out to men. Engaging in men as advocates allies is crucial for promoting gender equality and political participation 3) Help incorporate women s views and ideas in political decisions. For example, when it comes to environmental issues, women tend to be more nurturing. They would make the best possible decision on how to help and preserve natural resources. Having one point of view is not affective in the long-run. When it comes to education and literacy rates within women and children, SAARC should play a

large part, since everything starts from education. Education, early child development is the key factor to everything. Without basic knowledge and skills, there is nothing, which is why Nepal is one of the poorest countries in South Asia. With SAARC s help, it could: 1) Partnership with NGO s and other private agencies. This could help children and women stay in school with the basic resources and knowledge they need. Bringing in teachers from other countries would help early child development in health and learning. 2) Help with an integrated teacher-training Harassment and violence towards women in the work force should be uncalled for. If the government cannot step or will not help, then SAARC should: 1) Partnership with other international agencies to help with women s employment in Nepal. 2) Set up a welfare program to help women with children to be able to get the things they need such as credit and food 3) Help ban child labor. Child labor adds to the poverty level by children neglecting early childhood developments. And even so, child labor is not economically accounted for. program to develop important strategies to improve teachers qualifications and competencies. 3) Fight against Nepali government to make child marriage illegal and to promote education in health and be allowed to basic schooling instead of being married with children at age 15. If there were gender equality within economic society, the countries poverty may be lower. Maintaining women s empowerment in Nepal is still an issue today. Even with it slowly strengthening, there are still inequality issues. When you improve access to education, healthcare, and resources for a woman, you start a ripple effect that strengthens the entire community. When a girl stays in school, it creates improved economic opportunities and reduces rates of teen pregnancy and child marriages. When women are provided 11

with economic opportunities, it translates into stronger, healthier families and communities necessary to fulfil their rights to survival, development, protection and participation. Empowerment doesn t only include efficient approach to education and employment but also the natural right to make their own decisions, equality and understanding. Withdrawing any of these factors can lower women s status in society. There has however been significant work to reduce gender inequality. The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare has a strong women development program focused on encouraging the agency of hundreds of thousands of women in rural Nepal. It represents a focused, nationwide antipoverty intervention. It has also been noted for its unique approach to social mobilization, institutional building and, of late, rural business promotion. The country program strategy 2013-2017 identifies gender inequity as a major social problem for Nepal. The overall goal of the strategy is to directly address the three main sets of inequity factors (political, system, societal) so that all children, adolescents and women have access to education, Empowered women are the framework, which provide desired framework to society and help in sustainable development. It is essential that the leadership should be implemented such that women can be empowered. This process of empowerment also helps in reducing the economic productivity and development of society. Empowerment will also help women to protect themselves from domestic violence and lead a dignified life. In a true sense, women empowerment can be done when women are educated and financially can assist their families. Empowered women will work for the benefit of her family and will help in sustainable development of the society. Women education plays an important role in educating the society, as they will be able to educate their children. Empowerment of women will help in empowering the future in terms of education and will help in eradicating poverty. health care, nutrition, sanitation, clean water, protection, information, and other services 12

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