Nepal, a Himalayan country situated in South Asia, is one of the poorest countries of the world. It is has suffered from political instability and undemocratic rule for much of its history. There is a lack of access to basic services, people have superstitious beliefs, and there is gender discrimination. Although the Constitution provides protections for women, including equal pay for equal work, the Government has not taken significant action to implement its provisions. The status of women in Nepal remains very poor in terms of health, education, income, decision-making, and access to policymaking. Patriarchal practices, which control women's lives, are reinforced by the legal system. Women face systematic discrimination, particularly in rural areas. Literacy rates are substantially lower than men's, and women work longer hours. Violence against women is still common, and there are not enough women in professions. Women’s representation has been ensured in constituent assembly, but women’s equal participation in all state mechanisms is far from ideal.
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Female Literacy Rate
Literacy rates in Nepal still remain low, at 52.74% (CBS, 2001). Despite improvement in recent years, the disparity in literacy rates between men and women still remains. In 2001, the rate of literacy for females stood at 42.49%. The low rate of literacy for women can be attributed to the discrimination they face at home.
Females face gender-based violence and this greatly limits their ability to attend school or receive proper education. Furthermore, religion restricts the opportunities for women to receive education. For example, the majority of the female Muslim population in Nepal is still deprived of basic education, with only 20% having had any level of education.
The percentage of women from rural areas who have never attended school: 51.1% (CBS, 2008) as compared to the percentage of women from urban areas who have never attended school is 25% (CBS, 2008). This is reflected in the disparity in literacy rates, between women in rural areas, 36.5%, and those in urban areas, 61.5%. Literacy rates in rural areas are almost half that in urban areas. Although overall female participation in the workforce has increased, the majority of employed women are still heavily concentrated in the low-wage and more labor-intensive industries. Formal sector female participation is 6%. According to the 2008 report from CBS, there were 155 000 male professionals, but only 48 000 female professionals, about 31% of female professionals. This is in stark contrast to female participation in the subsistence agricultural sector, with female participation almost 160% that of male participation.
Access to Health Services
Health services in Nepal are inadequate and insufficient and are thus reflected in the low health status of Nepalese in relation to the rest of the Southeast Asian region. The most common illnesses that females at reproductive age face are anaemia and malnutrition, due to the discrimination faced in childhood and in growing up. As females, especially girls, are considered to be of the lowest status in the household, they are often the last to eat and thus do not receive the proper nutrition required. Almost 70% of females who have reached puberty suffer from these common illnesses. Also, many women often delay seeking medical help out of fear.
The maternity mortality ratio in Nepal, stands at 380 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 2008, according to estimates by the WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA/The World Bank.Although there has been a significant decrease as compared to the ratio of 539 per 100 000 live births in 2003, the ratio is still one of the highest in the world. Because of the inadequate provision of healthcare for pregnant mothers, they are more susceptible to death during the course of pregnancy and during labor itself. According to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2001, about 10% of all births are carried out in the presence of a qualified doctor or medical staff. This reflects the prevalence of home births, around 81% of all births, in Nepalese society. Due to the cultural beliefs, women are generally reluctant to allow any outsiders to be present or attend to the birth. Geography has also greatly limited the availability of health services especially those in rural and mountainous regions.Even though there has been much road development in recent years, females are less impacted by it, as they remain infrequent road users.
Gender-Based Violence to women
Gender-based violence (GBV) towards women is a severe issue in Nepal where its women often find themselves susceptible to both public and domestic violence which constitutes rape, sexual abuse in the workplace and at home, and human trafficking. There is a persistence of harmful traditional practices deemed life-threatening such as Deuki (act of offering young girls to Hindu temples to live without proper care or education) and Chhaupadi (menstruating women are kept in a shed away from the home to live under harsh conditions). Based on the study by United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) entitled Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women in Nepal, abused women are more inclined to suffer from depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, sexual dysfunction and various reproductive health problems.
In the recently published Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2012 by Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), a study of all 75 districts across the country returned results of 648 women as victims of violence in 2011. In addition, the number of girls under the age of 18 who were affected stands at 379.
The proportion of Nepali women who have been subjected to domestic violence are estimated at 60 to 70 per cent. Gender-based violence is worse in rural communities where an estimated 81 per cent of women experience recurring domestic violence.These incidences include physical abuse by husbands, polygamy, dowry-related murders, and physical and psychological harassment by household members.
Reasons for gender-based violence in Nepal are largely attributed to social taboos and superstitions associated with women and deeply entrenched beliefs that propagate derogatory attitudes toward female such as Chhori ko janma hare ko karma ("A daughter is born with a doomed fate").Likewise, results derived from INSEC’s monitoring of the situation indicated that subjugating women to domestic violence was considered a deep-rooted traditional practice.Survey results also show that 20 and 23 per cent of men and women in Nepal view domestic violence as being acceptable.
Despite efforts of various human rights and women’s rights NGOs, together with international aid agencies, to lobby for the elimination of domestic violence through implementation of more effective measures, the "Domestic Violence (Crime and Punishment)" bill introduced in 2002 is at a standstill.Complaints by women’s rights activists are directed towards the lackadaisical efforts of the law enforcement agencies in which disputes are settled without any charges pressed against the perpetrators. This is reflected in a statement by activist and former National Women Commission (NWC) chairperson Bandana Rana, "Often, police and local people try to settle the domestic dispute by pressing the women into accepting their ‘fate’ as the society is still dominated by Hindu patriarchy with its own set of strict codes—many of which are in conflict with basic rights for women".