Documents
Research papers,
case studies, situationers and other documents on Nepalese women, their
rights and their involvement in politics, governance and decision-making
Status
of Nepali women (2004)
The 2001 census report reveals women to be far behind the males
in terms of education, employment, in decision making positions,
in land ownerships, business etc. Women still have no control over
economic and physical resources and lagging behind in terms of political
power. The outlook of society towards women has not been changed
to the desired extent. They are still suffering from economic crisis.
They are still subjected to rape, trafficking and various kinds
of domestic violence. They have no access to health and the domestic
workloads are still on the shoulders of women. Download the document
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Women's
Rights Situation in Nepal (2000)
According to the 1991 census,
the female literacy rate is 26 percent, compared with 57 percent
for men. Perhaps one factor is that girls attend secondary
schools at a rate half that of boys. That's based on a report filed
by human rights groups in Nepal. Although, there are many NGO's
focused on integrating women into society and the economy, there
still a need to elevate women's consciousness specifically on their
political and human rights, Read more about the situation of women
in Nepal in this 2000 report by the US
State Department.
Political
Situation of Women in Nepal (2000)
If one looks into the political history of Nepal one realizes that
women have been actively involved in the movements of restoring
democracy in 1950 as well as in 1990. They were involved at various
levels and at times were sent behind the bars for being involved.
This short situationer gives us relevant figures in the Nepalese
involvement in politics and decision-making.
Women
in Nepal (2000)
Nepal is a multiethnic
and multicultural country with more than 50 spoken languages and
cultural traditions. For analytical purposes they have often been
classified into two broad groups, the Tibeto-Burman, populating
mostly the midhills and mountains, and the Indo-Aryan, living in
the Terai Gangetic plains and the midhills. Women from the Tibeto-Burman
communities are socially less constrained than their Indo-Aryan
sisters in terms of mobility, marriage/remarriage options, and,
most importantly, income-earning opportunities. In the Indo-Aryan
groups, traditionally, women have fewer social and economic options.
Social discrimination against women is felt to be more severe in
the Terai communities and in the Mid- and Far-Western Development
regions in general. Download the document.
Facts
and Figures About Nepalese Women's Involvement in Power and Decision-Making
(2000)
This web page
features the following information: distribution of participation
of women in economic activities by region; distribution of work
participation of women in economic activity; major indicators of
women in Nepal; economic opportunities; and political opportunities.
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Involving
Youth and Women in the Electoral Process: The Nepal Experience (1997)
According to
Uma Adhikari, President of Rural Women's Development Center, Nepalese
women are discriminated upon when it comes to political participation
and their votes are being taken for granted. At the grassroots level
of village development committees' elections women constituted only
8% of the total membership. Women belonging to backward classes
and ethnic minorities have even less representation -- amounting
to only 1.2%. In this 1997 speech of Ms. Adhikari she gave several
recommendations to change this situation.
Studies carried out by domestic
as also external research organizations prove that women representation
in the political decision-making process is low in Nepal, be it
an autocratic or democratic polity. Apart from political order,
there are various socioeconomic and cultural elements responsible
for such a disheartening phenomenon. The study makes an attempt,
with the limitations of the primary sources of information, to explore
the general socioeconomic, health, legal and political problems
of women politicians in the kingdom. The study report also identifies
the general socioeconomic constraints, as considered by the respondents,
that have created hurdles on their participation in the political
process in Nepal. It also makes recommendations to meet these problems.
To get a copy write to:
Center for Consolidation of Democracy at GPO Box 979, Kathmandu,
Nepal or contact them at these phone numbers:
Tel Phone 977-1-242508
Fax 977-1-242148
Women
Participation in Politics at local level – A study of Kathmandu
Metropolitan City
The study was carried out
in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The main objective of the study
was to evaluate the role of elected women ward representatives in
politics at local level. Local women ward representatives were interviewed
and asked about their political roles as ward representatives, their
commitments, kind of support from family, issues of social problems
faced by women and their views on legal provision, provision of
reservation for women, seats for the women, women role in politics
are included in the study report.
For a copy of the study
write to Documentation and Resource Center for Women's Studies (drcws@chsc.wlink.com.np)
Institute for Integrated
Development Studies (IIDS) carried out a case study of a village
in Tanahu where the Ministry of Local Development/Women Development
Division is implementing the Production Credit for Rural Women (PCRW)
program. The case study, entitled Women Change, Whose Reality? The
Intra-household Dynamics of PCRW Program in Gunadi Village, covers
one of these districts, Tanahu, which also enjoys the distinction
of being the first district to implement the program. The case study
explored to implement the program on the livelihood system of the
women members and its contribution towards the empowerment process
of women at the individual level in a village called Gunadi. It
looked different perspectives, namely economic, social and political.
To have a copy of the case
study, contact:
Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS)
PO Box 2254, Purano Baneshore, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel. Phone: 977-1-478930/477019
Fax: 977-1-470831
Email: info@iids.wlink.com.np
