On March 8, like many other countries, we also celebrated International Women’s Day. Various programs were organized by women activists to highlight the socio-economic and political status of women in the country, with the focus on domestic violence and other type of atrocities (rape, dowry, disappearance, abduction, etc) committed against women. The media coverage was impressive too; many newspapers published articles related to issues of women’s rights and empowerment. The entire day was devoted to airing women’s grievances. However, during the whole process, only the negative role of men vis-à-vis women’s empowerment was emphasized, while their potential contribution towards social justice and women empowerment were either ignored or overlooked.
Any form of inequality leads to injustice. Women in Nepal are being discriminated against and are underprivileged, either by design or default. This situation is reflected in our ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report (GGR) 2012, produced by the World Development Forum, where the country ranked 123th out of 135 nations whose data were analyzed. Our position is the lowest in the South Asian region, with the exception of Pakistan which occupies 134th position, one above Yemen. This result is more or less consistent with the UN Human Development Report (HDR), which ranks countries based on their Human Development Index. In HDR 2011, we occupy 157th position among 187 countries. Our Gender Inequality Index score is 0.665 (the higher the index, the greater the gender inequality). After all, we are one of a very few countries where the men live longer than women.
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The Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS) 2010/11 published by the Central Bureau of Statistics also reveals the extent of gender gap in the country. Following are some extracts from the report: only 44 percent women can read and write compared to 72 percent men; 43 percent women have attended educational establishments compared to 70 percent men. In terms of family’s priority for education, 35 percent women never went to school, either because their parents could not afford or because the daughters were not expected to go to school; compared to only 14 percent of male population who didn’t attend school. Regarding access to health services, only 40 percent women have the luxury of delivering their babies at health facilities while the remaining 60 percent are forced to give birth at home without any help of trained professionals.
In terms of the income disparity, if daily wages are to be considered a key indicator, we see a wide gap between the two sexes. In the year 2010/11, on-farm wages were Rs. 147 for women compared to Rs. 201 for their male counterparts. Meanwhile, off-farm wages were Rs. 189 for women compared to Rs. 286 for men. The government has made various commitments on gender equality in international conventions as well as with women representatives in the country to enhance the status of women and reduce the gender gap. The Interim Constitution (2007) guarantees women’s fundamental rights.
However, we are far behind in terms of translating such commitments into action. One only has to look at the number of women in government payroll to see how the government has failed on its commitment. In August 2011, only 8.6 percent of total government employees were women, and among them only 5.1 percent were at Officer Level, while 8.9 percent were support staff. That year (2011) only three women were Special Class and 25 were First Class. During 1997-2000 only one woman was promoted to First Class level. The situation is not very different in the corporate sector. Few women have succeeded in climbing the corporate ladder and only a handful head banks and other commercial establishments.
The main question is: Why is the situation of women in Nepal so desperate? And why are there so many contradictions? Every man undeniably understands a woman’s important role in managing household, and that it cannot prosper without equal contribution from women. Strange enough, even though we are a secular state, we continue to worship female goddesses Durga, Bhagabati and Kali. No matter how much the society is condemned as male-dominated, every Nepali man worships his mother and loves his daughter. I have yet to come across a father who wants his daughter to remain a second class citizen throughout her life, or a young man who wants to get married to an uneducated woman. Similarly, there is a growing realization that our nation cannot move forward without equal contribution from women. These contradictions can be resolved by providing women equal access to opportunities.
I believe that woman activists in this country, while championing the issue of women rights and empowerment, have ignored if not underestimated the need for support from their male counterparts. All of our influential political leaders and government officials are male, and they are the ones responsible for designing and implementing policies. Even the leaders in the private sector are male. So are most of the teachers, professors and civil society leaders. Therefore, it is the male population that needs to be convinced that it is in its best interest to promote women empowerment both at home as well as in public life.
Indeed, when the late Girja Prasad Koirala made a bold statement saying “one day in near future this country will be led by a female Prime Minister”, I had assumed he was thinking of handing over power to one of his ideological daughters, most likely Chittra Lekha Yadav, to head the government for having been denied her right to be the speaker of the reinstated parliament. Similarly, I had concluded that Brinda Hada would be appointed the Chief Secretary by Dr Baburam Bhattarai-led government. I am sure if the women caucus in Nepal had played its cards well, these two prominent women would have been serving this nation, and in all likelihood have paved the way for future generations of professional women to demonstrate their competence as well.
It is high time for women leaders to launch an equal rights movement in Nepal. They have to claim their share of opportunities. It is in the best interests of the other half to realize that women’s rights and their empowerment would ultimately lead the nation to prosperity. I am sure if such a movement is launched, sooner rather than later, the male population will be willing to play its part in ending gender-based discrimination. At the same time, women leaders and activists must also realize that in the absence of full cooperation from men, the existing gender gap cannot be narrowed.
binsija@gmail.com
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