Gender in Brief – Prior to Crisis
Gender roles in Nepal vary with context, caste, ethnic group, religion, and socio-economic class. Overwhelmingly, the traditional family structures are grounded in beliefs that men have pre-eminence over women and respect for elders. Women and girls in Nepal are disadvantaged by traditional practices like the dowry system, early marriage, son-preference, stigmatization of widows, seclusion of women (purdah), family violence, polygamy, and the segregation of women and girls during menstruation (chhaupadi). Third-gender face a separate and specific set of gender inequality issues. In recent years, there have been changes to improve the situation faced by women and girls. The post-conflict Government has been legislating for more gender equality: Nepal was the first country in Asia to develop a National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security in 2011 and women and girls’ rights are protected in the Comprehensive Peace Accord.
In Nepal a high-caste, educated women may have fewer opportunities to work outside the home than a rural Dalit woman for whom working outside the home may be more accepted. Women face an onerous triple burden. The economic contribution of women is substantial but largely unnoticed because their traditional role as caretaker is taken for granted. Nepalese woman have a much higher work-load than the global averagevii. Girls have the responsibility of helping their mothers with housework while men and boys are generally not expected to assist with domestic work. In general, women do not participate in decision-making for their families or communities which is a man’s responsibility. Nepalese men are expected to an income and support their families although how they do that and the view of manhood will often be linked to caste. Due to increasing economic pressure, many Nepali men have lost their traditional occupations and have been forced to migrate to the cities or abroad in order to maintain their “breadwinner” role. As a result many of them face severely exploitative conditions that sometimes amount to forced labour. Boys are more likely to be educated as they are seen as the future family breadwinner while daughters leave home to live with their in-laws. Almost half of the population gets married between the age of 14 to 19 years and dowry is a major driver of child marriage as well as a cause of violence against girls and women