FEATURE: EMPOWERING WOMEN
By Jal Singh

July 2, 2002 – (Kathmandu Post) Women in Nepal constitute half of the country’s total population but the condition of the majority of them is not satisfactory. Despite equal rights and opportunities guaranteed by the Constitution, women, in real life, have not been able to enjoy the same. The condition in the rural areas is even worse. Women are discriminated against and lag far behind in many areas, barring a few exceptions, mainly because of our long-held social and cultural structure and attitude. The status of women in Nepal must be enhanced.
However, there have been changes in the attitude of the society regarding women in recent times. It has been realised that without development of women, the long-term and sustainable development of the country is not possible.

In Nepal, women are in the frontline of household and community efforts to alleviate poverty and cope with its impact. Nepali women remain illiterate, under-represented, and unaware of their rights and Nepal’s economy continues to suffer the consequences of foregone production, diminished family welfare and rapid population growth. The critical contribution of women to Nepal’s economy mandates their empowerment as a crucial element of political, economic and social development. Currently about two-thirds of Nepal women cannot read or write.

No country can eradicate poverty if it cannot address the needs of women. For the overall development and upliftment of women, it is important to initiate income-generating and other economic activities through provision of various services like education, employment and credits. Why the focus on women? The micro finance focus on women is important. The micro finance experience worldwide has shown that poor borrowers, especially women, make productive use of credit for self-employed micro-enterprises/small farms and are prompt in repayments, with average repayment rates above 90 percent, much better than recoveries under normal lending. The problem is women are the last to be covered by any kind of organised financial service. The studies conducted on women reveal that most low-income women live and work in high-risk environments and therefore seek to minimise risk and increase security by expanding their activities.

Equal rights: A bill was tabled in the eighteenth session of the Parliament to make the 11th amendment to Muluki Ain (Civil Code) that guarantees women’s equal rights to parental property before marriage. In this bill the lawmakers expressed mixed comments on the bill that remained in the pigeonhole for a long time and was tabled after the women MPs of both the ruling and the opposition parties pressed the government with the ultimatum to capture the rostrum. Some are of the view that the bill, as per the Constitution that guarantees equal rights to women, should have found a passage before long and urged the government to pass it as soon as possible. The provision that the women get parental property only before marriage should be replaced by another that ensures their permanent property rights at par with their brothers. The bill aims at ending the existing discrimination against women. No one should be deprived of laws on the basis of class, caste or gender.

In the early 1990s, a direct correlation existed between the level of education and status. Educated women had access to relatively high-status positions in the government and private service sectors, and they had a much higher status than uneducated women. This general rule was more applicable at the societal level than at the household level. Within the family, an educated woman did not necessarily hold a higher status than her uneducated counterpart. Also within the family, a woman’s status, especially that of a daughter-in-law’s, was more closely tied to her husband’s authority and to her parental family’s wealth and status than anything else.

Production credit for rural women in Nepal is the most successful credit programme. Nepal is the tenth poorest country in the world. The project targeted 16,000 rural women living below the poverty line and facing strong social barriers such as gender bias, caste and ethnic divisions. Women also lacked access to the means by which they could improve their living standard. In the project design, the importance of rural women’s contribution to production and family income was recognised.

The project was therefore designed in order to increase the income of the poor rural women, thereby enhancing their status in society and improving the welfare of their families. Training and community development initiatives were undertaken in parallel with credit facilities for income-generating activities. Training for adult literacy, social empowerment and mobilisation was provided to rural women. Activities were also undertaken that would save women work, such as schemes for drinking water, community forestry and so on. Social services and infrastructure were developed through this project, as well as infrastructure to support communications and dissemination (e.g community halls). The project sought to involve communities in the development process.

Nepal is a signatory to various national and international declarations for women’s development such as the First World Women’s Conference held in Nairobi in 1975; Long Term Work Plan 1985 and Beijing Declaration 1995. The Beijing Conference in 1995 had identified 12 critical areas of concern for women. Nepal, however, has condensed it to seven.

It is against the above backdrop that the Nepalese government has expressed its clear-cut commitment at both national and international forums and brought about legal provisions, policies and programmes for the rights, interest and development of women. The constitution has made it mandatory for all political parties to allocate at least three per cent seats while selecting candidates for the general elections. It is, of course, a very positive and important beginning towards ensuring women’s representation and participation in the decision-making level. Some other positive initiatives have been taken at both governmental and non-governmental levels for the rights and welfare of women. A separate ministry was created to deal with women’s issues and work for their development as part of translating Nepal’s commitment made at the international level into action.

From: http://www.mahilaweb.org/footer/news/jul_02/kathmandu_post.htm