Women in Nepal

Published in Space Time Today, March 21, 2002

Women of Nepal enjoy secondary position compared to men. They face oppression and injustice. they are least educated and subject to violence and crime. There have been efforts to rectify this from both government and non-government sectors, but much more needs to be done.

Nepalese society is patriarchal. Historically, women in Nepal were confined to the house. Only household jobs were relegated to womenfolk. Traditionally women's position was that of a slave to either the husband (or to her father if unmarried. Now, times have changed. Increasing number of women are being educated and many feel women should break free of traditional bondage and make themselves equal in all respects. Some women in Nepal have achieved a lot. However, a solid majority live in backwardness and oppression.

One of the most important fields of life where Nepalese women lag behind is education. Although there are many girl students in urban areas, the overwhelming majority of girls in rural areas do not go to schools. In fact only about 40 percent of all females in Nepal can read and write. Since most mothers in rural areas are themselves uneducated, it is hard to expect these mothers to send their children to school. There exists gross discriminatory practice of sending only boys to school. And girls, if they are sent to school, are forced to leave school early while boys continue school till much later time. The person who removes girls from school usually happens to be the mother. So, there exists a practice where women themselves are responsible for the backwardness of their sex.

It is due to lack of education that women are not in leading positions in Nepalese society. In the national parliament, there are only a handful of women parliamentarians. Although there have been women heads of government in other countries in South Asia like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India, we in Nepal are yet to see a women leading HMG. Men run most of businesses in Nepal and most proefessionals are also men. In workplaces, there have been complaints of sexual harassment. Women in profession have to work many times harder than men to achieve the same status as men. The view that women are inferior and inefficient compared to men is widespread.

Another issue concerning women is their right to parental property. This has been a very hot issue and everyone seems to be talking about it. The current law entitles a woman right to parental property but she has to return it after marriage. This law is most discrimanatory in its conception. This law institutionalizes gender discrimination. The sate itself has become party to discrimination against women due to this law. It is ironic that the state should instead draft and formulate laws, which should drive the society into gender inequality. However, our legal system upholds patriarchal male dominated culture. Women should have the same parental property rights as enjoyed by men. One reason for women's backwardness is their lack of control over property. It is with property they gain influence. Therefore equal property rights is an important step towards women's liberation in Nepal.

The most horrendous aspect is trafficking of Nepalese girls to the sex industry in India. Each year thousands of girls, as young as 13, are duped into this most demeaning profession. This practice is a disgrace to our nation. Many of these girls are sent back to Nepal after contracting AIDS. there are now organizations like Maiti Nepal, which rehabilitate girls rescued from brothels in india. However, more needs to be done. First of all the government here should enter some form of agreement with the government of India on trafficked girls. At the home front, all pimps and other agents involved in flesh trade should be taken into custody. Economic hardship, which is the main cause of this problem, should also be dealt with.

Another visible problem is associated with the increasing number of women employed by Maoist rebels. Women in rural areas have no hope. Their future is dark due to poverty and lack of education and employment. Such women are easy prey to rebel promises of brighter future after they have destroyed the present system. It is due to failure of the government and nongovernmental organizations to bring them into the mainstream that many women are members of the violent movement.

Women in Nepal certainly deserve more. Nepalese women themselves have proved that there is no limit to what they can do. However, their progress is impeded by tradition, unprogressive ideas present in society and lack of available resources. Women should ask for equality and men too should give in because improvement in women's status means improvement in the future generations. Women must consolidate what they have achieved and move on.