Back to Civic Education | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 5 | Unit 6 | Back to Contents
CIVICS
IN NEPAL
(Contemporary
Society Course)
UNIT
6
WOMEN
IN SOCIETY
INTRODUCTION <TOP>
All over the world, women have played significant roles in their countries' development. They have contributed to the economic growth of their country by taking care of their families and working in and owning businesses. They have worked as doctors, teachers, electricians and artists. Women have even been prime ministers of countries. Unfortunately, not every society values the role women play and the contribution they make to their country's development. Some beliefs and practices create societies in which males play the dominant role. Religious traditions can contribute to making women second-class citizens. Low education levels and the tendency for women to have low self-confidence also contributes. In Nepal, men tend to be the owners of property and the decision makers in the families. Women often stay at home, cleaning, cooking and caring for their children. Although these activities are essential for the well being of the family, women are often not respected for their work. Many times, when women venture out of the home to take part in other types of activities, such as going to school, owning businesses and participating in politics, they are often held back or discouraged. This unit focuses on the challenges women face in improving their lives and their standing in Nepali society. It is important to note, that the challenges women face in Nepal are common around the world. Women in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas all face similar difficulties.
PURPOSE OF UNIT <TOP>
This unit describes how
increasing women's political, economic and social influence can have a positive
affect on Nepali society as well as the country's overall development. The main
focus of this unit is to outline the common problems that women face within
Nepal as well as motivate students to take part in some of the solutions to
these problems. As mentioned in earlier units, although democracy alone cannot
bring development to Nepal, democratic government offers a variety of opportunities
that other types of government do not offer for women and men to speak their
minds, make demands on their government and monitor their leaders' activities.
After studying this unit you should be able to:
- Define the concept of
women's empowerment
- Identify some of the common problems women face within Nepal
- Take part in activities necessary to address these problems
STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT <TOP>
The unit is divided into the following sub-units:
- Concept of Women's Empowerment
- Place of Women in Nepali Society
- Problems of Nepali Women's Participation in Social, Political and Economic
Life
- Solutions to the Problems of Women's Empowerment in Nepal
- Activities
- Conclusion
TERMS TO KNOW <TOP>
Please pay attention to the key words listed below. Become familiar with their definitions and how they are used in the text. You will need to understand these terms to answer the questions at the end of the unit.
Domestic violence
Women's empowerment
Gender discrimination
Malnutrition
Spacing childbirths
CONCEPT OF WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT <TOP>
Within Nepal, men tend to own the property and make the family decisions. Women generally stay at home doing housework and are limited in their ability to own land or participate in the decision-making of families.
In the pictures below you will see Nepali women speaking about the common problems they face in their efforts to improve their lives and those of their family members. Their feelings of hopelessness and lack of ability to make their own decisions are commonly heard among village and city women all over Nepal.
"I
have limited or no access to my household funds. My husband and other family
members make all the decisions about how money is spent in our family. Sometimes
my husband spends money on alcohol and gambling and he forgets to give me money
for food. My children and I go hungry. Although our chickens lay eggs, my husband
will not let me sell them. I don't have any economic rights."
"My
role and responsibilities are confined to the household. When I try and do something
outside the home, like work, meet with my friends or learn to read, my family
and neighbors make fun of me."
"My
low status in society makes life so difficult for me. After I was born, I had
to do what my parents said. After marriage, I must do what my husband and his
family say. Sometimes my husband beats me and I can do nothing about it. I don't
have the skills or knowledge to work and change my life."
"I
wanted my daughter to attend school and have the education that I wasn't able
to have. My husband will not allow her to, and so she stayed home while her
younger brother went to school."
"In
the house next to mine, a 74 year old man beats his daughter in law. The girl
does nothing to protect herself and I don't know how to help her".
The stories these women tell are common in many parts of Nepal. Women often lack the knowledge and skills to improve their ability to control the money meant for the household, protect themselves from physical abuse and take advantage of their legal right to go to school, work and own land. Women's work is often in the home, conducting essential tasks in preparing food, cleaning and taking care of children.
In addition to work in the home, women can take an active role in other types of activities. Activities that will give them the skills and knowledge necessary to take advantage of their rights to: control the funds of the household, get an education, participate in politics, partake in income earning activities and contribute to the overall development of their communities.
Women's Empowerment means giving women the skills and knowledge to take advantage of the many opportunities available to them to improve their lives. Providing women with an education, job training and basic services to ease household responsibilities, are ways to empower women.
As women become more knowledgeable
and acquire skills, they can accomplish a great deal.
Read the stories below
and answer the questions following the stories.
|
In a village in Nepal, both men and women worked on the land. A male worker received Rs 40 a day for his labor; a female worker received Rs 15 a day. For many years, women accepted their smaller salaries without any complaint. They assumed that their work was valued less than the men and that it was legally accepted that their salary be lower. Slowly, women began to realize that they produced as much corn as the men did. They talked among themselves and decided that it was unfair that their salaries were so much lower than their brothers' and husbands' salaries who also work on the farm. As a group of 8, they gathered in front of the landlord's house and demanded their salaries be increased. The men in the village saw them and laughed. They said, "Women deserve a lower salary than men. You should go home and not bother the landlord." When the landlord came out to meet the women, the women reminded the landlord that it is illegal to pay women lower salaries than men. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal says that women have a right to receive equal pay to men. By the end of the discussion the landlord agreed to increase the women's wages by Rs 8 bringing their daily wage up to Rs 23. Although the women had wanted higher wages, they accepted the increase and left the landlord's house feeling much happier and more confident. They agreed that their ultimate goal would be to increase their salaries to that of the men working on the farm, but they couldn't change the entire system over night and accepted what they could gain for the moment. With the extra rupees per day, the women purchased additional food and clothing for the family.1 |
|
Meena owns a tea stall in the main Phattepur bazaar in her village. Her tea stall is one of many stalls set up in the center of town where other small shopkeepers, many of whom sell vegetables or dry goods, have also set up shop. In addition to providing her family with the main source of income, Meena's tea stall provides her with a great deal of contact with the public. In front of her shop under a woven grass mat canopy, there are two benches for her customers. She sits on the benches with the people in the village and learns about their needs and concerns. Over the years Meena has become a trusted and wise friend of her customers and the other shopkeepers. When it was time for one of the political parties in her district to nominate a woman candidate, Meena requested that she be nominated. Her popularity in the community and demonstrated knowledge and trustworthiness led the party members to nominate Meena to ward president and she won the election. Meena wanted to learn more about elections and the campaign process to train other women candidates in her party. When she was elected, Meena played an active role at Ward Committee meetings and ensured that the funds allocated by the central government for old people in her village were given to the old people and not kept by local officials. She also made sure that girl children in the community were encouraged to go to school. Meena now encourages other women to participate in politics. |
Meena and the group of 10
women who worked together to get their wages increased were participating in
activities to help themselves and their community members improve their lives.
They noticed a problem and took action to solve the problem.
In many cases, women don't have the knowledge or skills to act on their aspiration.
To take action, women need to be determined, self-confident, know the issues
and be prepared to accept failure.
We can practice some of the skills that will assist us in standing up for ourselves and protecting our interests. One of these skills is practicing speaking in front of groups of people. When we practice public speaking, we build confidence in our ideas and we can begin to realize that each of us has something beneficial to contribute to a conversation or decision.
Most people have difficulties expressing their views in front of other people. They worry that others will laugh or make fun of them. Girls especially, have difficulties speaking in front of boys. They tend to believe that they are not as capable or as smart as boys.
Activity
To counter these tendencies, the teacher will break the class up into small groups. Both male and female classmates should participate in this activity and be given an opportunity to make a presentation in front of their group. Each student should choose a topic that you are interested in. Topics could include: democracy in Nepal, your childhood, the development of Nepal, women's role in society or your belief in god. You can discuss environmental conditions or human rights in Nepal. Any topic is fine. When giving your presentation, you should stand in front of your group. The other students in your group should be seated in a circle around you, quiet and listening to your speech. You presentation should last about 3 or 4 minutes.
Remember when speaking in
front of others:
You can also practice making public presentations in front of your friends or family members. The more you practice speaking in front of others, the more confidence you will gain in your ideas and your abilities to present them.
What other activities could you do to practice voicing your opinions and contributing your ideas to group discussions and decision-making?
Think of a few - and list them in your copy.
PLACE OF WOMEN IN NEPALESE SOCIETY <TOP>
Historically, Nepali laws have favored men over women. This is gender discrimination. Men benefit more than women. Until 1963 the Civil Code, which was the principal law regulating human behavior and property rights, forbade women from owning property and participating in the same economic and political activities that men participate in.
In 1963, government officials abolished the former Civil Code and passed a new one, which brought about significant changes in family and property law and the legal status of women. The Code set the legal marriage age for women to sixteen, made polygamy and child marriage illegal, established women's right to divorce and broadened women's capacity to control or inherit property.
More recently government officials have come to realize that women can play a more important role then they already do in making decisions regarding family income, child education, community well-being and the development of the country as a whole. For this reason, the Nepali government has taken legal steps to improve the lives of women throughout the country.
In 1990, when the new Constitution was established, the Constitution guaranteed Nepali women equal rights with men. The Constitution says that there shall be no discrimination against any citizen in the application of laws, or on the grounds of religion, caste, race or sex. It also requires that employers pay women equal wages with men and give women equal access to property. Other laws have also been passed to provide special provisions for women's education, health and employment.
Other countries around the world have written and signed contracts promising to apply equal rights laws for women and men. In 1991, Nepali officials also signed these contracts, promising to introduce equal rights practices within Nepal. For instance, the Nepali government approved an international agreement entitled the United Nations Declaration against Discrimination of Women, which required all countries who approved the document to do everything they could to limit the suffering and unfair treatment of women in their countries. The document states that women, on equal terms with men, have the right to:
Answer the following questions and write your answers down in your copy.
PROBLEMS OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE <TOP>
Although the government has signed a number of laws to assist in improving the lives of women throughout Nepal, the implementation of laws takes time. It requires efforts on behalf of the government and by the people. Changes are slow and as a result, despite government efforts, women still face a number of challenges to gaining social, political and economic equality with men. Differences in the way women are treated are noticeable throughout Nepal. Differences relate to a women's social background, her ethnicity, caste, location in which she lives and the economy of the area.
Discrimination against girls starts from the moment they are born. Sons are seen as bringing prestige and honor to the family whereas daughters are often considered only another mouth to feed. The girl is treated as inferior to her brother and is often nutritionally deprived because the boy's health and well being is more valued.
At a young age, the girl is expected to perform many of the household chores, such as collecting water and caring for her younger siblings. But boys, without any responsibilities, have the freedom to play.
The girl is expected to collect the fodder and fuel and contribute to household labor while boys are sent to school to get an education so that they will be able to get a good job when they are older.
The girl also often wants to go to school but the family doesn't see education for their daughter as important because she will grow up, marry and go to live with her husband's family. This discrimination leaves the girl with feelings of frustration.
Girls are often forced to marry at a very young age with someone they don't even know. In Nepali society, marriage is seen as compulsory for women.
When a woman gets married she has many responsibilities in her husband's home. She must be responsible for cooking, cleaning, washing, caring for the children, working in the fields, collecting water and collecting the fodder. She works very hard but is given little recognition for her labor.
Soon after marriage, she immediately starts bearing children. She has many children spaced very closely together, which is very damaging to her health. She is left very weak and so gives the oldest daughter the responsibility of cooking. This creates many problems and dissatisfaction within the family.
Having too many children too closely spaced and the overburden of work makes the woman physically weak. The husband's family members become dissatisfied with the woman and the husband increasingly criticizes her. When anyone makes a complaint about the woman, the husband is quick to believe him or her. Without verifying the facts, he begins to quarrel with her.
The husband and wife begin
to fight more frequently. The husband does not like the food cooked by his wife
and throws it across the room. He also hits his wife when he is upset or drunk.
This is called domestic violence. She wonders why this is happening and why
she has to tolerate such abuse. She wishes she could run away and escape this
situation. Her little girl is also confused and frustrated. She does not know
why this is happening to her family. The little girl also wants to escape the
situation. There is a risk that both the woman and her daughter may run away
from home and end up in just another similar situation.
The woman continues to perform all the responsibilities that have been assigned
to her but her husband is never content. The woman tries very hard to please
him but he only shouts at her and hits her.2
Activities
Write the answer to the
following questions in your copy.
For the next three days, pay attention to what the men and women in your neighborhood are doing with their time. Notice that the men and women's activities differ. Watch to see what each person does in the home and what he or she does outside the home. Who is cooking? Who is visiting with friends? Are men and women walking together down the street? What kind of work do the men and women do? How many hours a day do men work? How many hours do women work? Is anyone studying, if so, who? Do boys and girls have the same amount of time to study? Is anyone talking about politics? If so, who? Who goes out in the evenings? Who plays sports? What hobbies do the boys tend to have? What hobbies do the girls have? Discuss with your classmates the other observations that can be made about the different activities conducted by men and women. Over the three days, write your observations in your copy and discuss your findings with your classmates.
Education and Literacy
Not sending or keeping girls in school is a common practice in large parts of South Asia, including Nepal. If families have a choice, they prefer to send their male children to school rather than their female children. This means that males have an increased likelihood that they will learn how to read and write and that they will be able to have careers. They may be doctors, political officials, business people, teachers and other types of professionals. The girls who do not go to school typically carry a heavier physical work load than men, work longer hours for less pay and have little control over family resources and decisions.
|
Increasingly,
more and more girl children are going to school in Nepal.
|
See the chart below and answer the questions following the chart.
|
Literacy
and Population Rates in Nepal
|
|||
| Year | Male Literacy Rate (%) | Female Literacy Rate (%) | Population |
| 1971 | 23.59 | 3.91 | 11,556,000 |
| 1981 | 33.96 | 12.05 | 15,023,000 |
| 1991 | 54.10 | 24.73 | 18,491,000 |
| 1996 | 52.2 | 24.4 | 20,832,000 |
Source: Population Census, 1971,1981,1991, CBS and CBS - Demographic Sample Survey 1986/87
Health Care and Family Planning
In Nepal, many women, especially
in the villages, experience health-related discrimination. This means that there
are many health practices in Nepal that favor boys over girls.
When families have limited
food, parents tend to give their boy children more food than they give their
girl children. Also, although girls often prepare the food, they give the food
to others in their families before taking for themselves. This means that over
a girl's lifetime she will likely eat less and grow up suffering from malnutrition,
without the proper vitamins and minerals. As a result, girls are more likely
than boys to get sick during their lives.
Because girls often suffer
from malnutrition as children and tend to eat less throughout their lives, by
the time they are pregnant they are usually in poor health. In addition, even
though the women are pregnant and not feeling well they are still often responsible
to tend to all the household chores, putting additional strain on their bodies.
Their poor health often leads to problems during pregnancy and during delivery
of their children.
Also, a large majority of deliveries take place without a skilled midwife present. Instead, the woman is assisted by a traditional healer or family member. Other women go to the fields by themselves and deliver their babies alone. Many women die due to complications during birth, because skilled individuals are not assisting during childbirth. If a midwife had been present, in many cases, the midwife could have saved the life of the mother, and as a result, many of the deaths that happen during childbirth are unnecessary and preventable.
When women die during pregnancy, their children are left motherless. These children are 3 to 10 times more likely to die within two years of their mothers' death than children who live with both parents.3
In addition to those who die each year during pregnancy many other women suffer serious health complications during pregnancy and spend the rest of their lives with injuries or infections. Such illnesses include the inability to have more children, a constant weakness and tiredness, a lack of essential vitamins and constant pain.
Many women in Nepal have a lot of children within a year or less of each other. This means that without taking enough time for the women to recover physically from childbirth she has another child almost right away. This leaves her body weak. In addition, having so many young children causes a great deal of work for the woman as she must feed and care for her young children while she takes care of other household chores. Women can stay healthier, if they have children many years apart rather than one after the other.
Unfortunately, often women and men in Nepal do not know how to plan pregnancies to space them far apart. Visiting a health post and becoming informed on the different ways of planning pregnancies can be very helpful for women as well as for the family as a whole. There are things that both men and women can do to prevent pregnancies.
As the main caregivers to family members who fall sick, women are more exposed to contagious diseases than other members of the family. Yet, when they do fall ill, they often lack family support, sufficient rest and nutritious food that would allow them a full recovery. Because of the continual neglect of women's health and the embarrassment many women feel when they are sick, sick women often go untreated. This neglect compounds their suffering and humiliation leading to isolation and exclusion from the family and community.
See the pictures below and write down in your copy what is happening in each picture. Also write down the likely results of each of the actions described in the pictures.
Girl Trafficking
A man sees a girl working in her village and he asks, "Why are you working so hard? Your family must really treat you poorly. If you want, I can take you to the city where there are airplanes, cinemas and beautiful buildings. You will have a wonderful life there with lots of luxuries." She is very tempted to escape the hardships of her life in the village but is confused about whether to go with this stranger or not.
After a lot of discussion, the man manages to convince the girl into going with him to the city. When they arrive, the girl is very overwhelmed by her surroundings; she has never seen so many buildings or people before. Soon after they arrive, the man takes the girl to a brothel, a place where women have sex in exchange for money. He tells the girl to be seated in one room and then collects money from the brothel owner. He earns a lot of money from selling this girl to a brothel. The girl is scared and doesn't know where the man has taken her.
After the man leaves, the brothel owner begins to beat the girl. The owner tells the girl that she must obey the owner's wishes or she will not get to eat and continue to be beaten.
Finally, the girl can tolerate the owner's abuse no longer and agrees to have sex with men and give all the money she earns to the brothel owner. The girl becomes a prostitute. Miserably, she waits for the men in her room. The other girls in the brothel, who have been there for a long time, have become used to the work and are waiting for the customers to arrive.
The girl has no other choice but to accept the work, although she hates it. The customers wait outside her room for their turn.
The girl becomes very ill because she has contracted a deadly disease, HIV/AIDS through having sex without protection. This sickness will eventually kill her. In the meantime, she is too weak to continue working as a prostitute.4
The girl in this story represents many girls, all over the country, who work too hard in their villages. They long for a better life and are often fooled by men who approach them, or marry them, promising to bring them to the city and find them a job and a home. The men promise the girls good food, nice clothes and a good life. Girls are often brought from Nepal to the cities outside the country where they are unknowingly sold into prostitution, forced labor, domestic labor or arranged marriages. Only when it is too late do they realize that they mistakenly trusted the man. The physical and mental abuse girls experience in the cities often damages their health and sometimes even kills them.
Estimates show that thousands and thousands of girls are taken from their homes and forced into labor every year. Some of these girls are as young as 10 years old. Selling girls into forced labor is illegal and punishable by imprisonment.
Participation in Politics
From the first written Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, Nepali women have had the right to vote. Unlike in many other countries around the world, women in Nepal have not had to struggle for their voting rights. Unfortunately, although women have this right, they are disadvantaged in their ability to use it. For instance, women, more than men, have a difficult time getting information about an election process. Studies have shown that women, more than men, are often unsure about when elections occur, who the candidates are, or what the political issues are about. Women find that household chores are so time-consuming that they don't have enough time to leave the home to find out important political information. Men are more likely to have time to speak with their friends within the village and travel outside the village to learn about current events.
In addition, studies have shown that women most often vote according to their husband's wishes. In many cases, the only information women gain about elections is through their husbands and therefore vote like they do. In other cases, women feel they must obey their husbands' wishes. So, if their husband tells them they must vote for a political candidate, they agree. Women often forget that voting is a private issue. When they cast their ballot no one else will know whom they vote for. This privacy enables women to make their own choices about political candidates.
Another problem women face in exercising their right to vote is the high level of illiteracy among women. More women than men cannot read. Therefore, women's ability to read political information produced by political parties is limited. If they don't have information about the candidates or the issues, they may have less confidence in their ability to choose for whom to vote or in their overall desire to vote.
Despite these challenges, an increasing number of women are participating in the political life of the country. In 1997, the government passed a law requiring that at least 20% of all Village Development Committee and Ward Committee representatives be women. Because of this law, about 36,000 women around the country are now serving as locally elected political officials. This is the highest number of women participating in politics in Nepal's history! In addition, as a result of this law, Nepal has a higher number of women in local politics than in most countries around the world.
At the national level, the King approved a law requiring that at least 5% of candidates from each political party be women. This means that political parties must include at least a small number of women candidates in their campaigns. This regulation is a huge step towards increasing women's political participation at the national level in Nepal.
|
Why
do we care about women becoming political leaders?
|
Although only a few women occupy high political posts in Nepal, time and time again, these women have raised their voices to promote policies that favor women's rights. These policies encourage girls to go to school, that offer special health care and family planning for women, that increase women's salaries and their rights to own land. Unfortunately, because there are so few women in political office, women's voices often disappear amidst the large numbers of men in political office. The more women get involved politically, the more likely women's voices will be heard within the political institutions and women's issues will be protected by law and in practice.
Rights to Property
Nepali women do not have the same property rights as men. Although the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal gives women the same equal access to property as men, at the time of writing this book the laws within Nepal do not agree with the Constitution. Rather, they discriminate against women. The laws restrict women's rights to receive land or businesses from their husbands or fathers. In practice, males have preference in their right to receive land or businesses. If a father has a choice of giving his small business to one of his family members, he generally gives it to his son rather than his wife or daughter.
These discriminatory practices mean that women's opportunities are very limited. If a woman is uneducated or unable to own a business then she has very few opportunities to make money to support herself or her children. This means that she is totally dependent on her husband's money to pay for her care. She will have difficulty leaving their home if: she is unhappy with her husband because he beats her; or she is unhappy with her husband's family because they force her to do the majority of the housework. If the woman is lucky, her family will allow her to return home. But most women have nowhere else to go and do not have any money to support themselves.
Activity
Who in your household makes the decisions about how money is spent? Is this person a man or a woman?
Record all the class answers together and make one chart for the class to see.
Within your class, did you find that more men or women are responsible for deciding how money is spent in the family? What reasons can you come up with to explain your findings? What do your findings tell you about the different roles women and men play in Nepal?
Write your responses to these questions in your copy. Fill at least 1 page of writing.
SOLUTIONS OF THE PROBLEMS OF WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT IN NEPAL <TOP>
The Nepali government can, and has, taken action to improve the role women play in the social, political and economic life of the country. The government has already drafted a Constitution and other bills that give women equal legal status to men. The government has signed international agreements promising to implement policies that help women. Unfortunately, the government can't change anything alone, it does not have the resources or ability to do so. We, as citizens of our country, can take an active role in improving women's lives. Already, women throughout Nepal have shown remarkable bravery and amazing capacity to identify problems in their communities and work towards solving these problems.
We see women local government officials meeting with individuals from all the households in their constituencies to identify the needs of their community members. This type of activity can help officials make better decisions about the right policies to implement in their villages.
Some women have even compiled the data they collected from the households and presented their findings to VDC officials.
Other women representatives
began participating in Ward Committee and Village Council meetings and taking
part in the discussions. At the meetings, some women demanded that more literacy
programs for women be conducted in their villages and that the budget allocation
process be more transparent.
Other women representatives involve themselves in community development projects
by helping to plan the time line of the projects, supervising the implementation
of the projects (by visiting the sites and talking to the people involved) and
evaluating the projects' effectiveness. The projects women representatives have
involved themselves in include water supply, road construction, child/adult
literacy, school construction and electricity projects.
Yet other women who are not elected representatives bring new development projects to their communities including savings and credit (micro credit), women and children's literacy, health/sanitation, sewing and cutting training (for women), and school construction programs.
In addition to these achievements, other women are beginning to work in groups to share ideas with each other and pressure others to respond to community demands.
|
The residents of a small district in Nepal suffered from low electrical voltage problems such that fans and light bulbs did not work at all. Men from the community had unsuccessfully visited the Village Development Committee on numerous occasions to try and rectify the problem. Everyone in the community felt hopeless except the members of two women's groups who decided to take matters into their own hands. These groups gathered to discuss the issue and visit the electricity department's Simtra branch office. The department staff was initially scared by the crowd of women, but were convinced that local power mills loading down the system caused the problem and suggested that the women take up their grievances with the power mills and the head office of the electricity department. At this point the women declared that they would not be stopped by procedural hassles and a slow bureaucracy, and demanded that the staff call their officials immediately to come and speak with the women. In their words "We have not come here to add on to the existing applications, but to get work done now! Don't test our patience." Within a few hours officials from the head office arrived to meet the women, eventually promising to begin work to increase the capacity of the electrical line the next day. As promised, the following day, laborers arrived to begin the work of expanding electrical capacity to the village. The women in the group felt proud of their achievements. The members of the women's groups who restored power to their area are now admired and appreciated by others in their villages.5 |
Women's groups and study
circles provide an opportunity for women to share their experiences and gain
strength through knowing that other women are experiencing similar situations.
Also, working in a group can build confidence among the members, giving the
group strength and the power to influence others.
Women and men around the country have established nongovernmental organizations
that work in all parts of Nepal to help improve the lives of women in the country.
They help protect girls from being sold into prostitution, encourage girl children
to go to school, advocate for improved legal measures that increase women's
rights, encourage women to get involved in politics and provide women with micro-credit
to start their own businesses. These organizations are very active and help
improve women's status within Nepal.
Mainly for individual and group work:
1. Work within a group to review the life of a typical Nepali village girl. Begin with the moment she is born and describe all the ways in which her upbringing and whole life differ from that of a boy born into the same kind of family. Make sure you consider the family's reaction to her birth, her feeding, the types and amount of household chores she does, her medical care or lack thereof, her education opportunities, her level of freedom within the household and without, her marriage opportunities, her relationships with her husband and in-laws, her work load, her choices related to childbirth, her decision making ability within the household and her control or lack thereof over money issues.
Your class will choose some of these stories to turn into short dramas, suitable for presentation within the community. Do the dramas for the class and school if possible.
2. Read this poem and answer
the questions below.
|
I am born in disappointment |
a) Who is saying the poem?
Is it one person or more than one?
b) Find words in the poem that match these meanings.
|
|
c) Explain the meaning of:
d) Disappointment, darkness
and chains are her lot in life. In your own words, explain the meaning of this
statement.
e) Make a tune (possibly with a guitar, drum, key board, flute etc.) to turn
the poem above into a song. Do a painting to go with it.
3. Throughout the whole world, the problem of husbands beating and physically abusing their wives is widespread and often not publicly discussed. In some countries, people believe abusing your wife is the right thing to do. Do you think wife abuse is a problem in Nepal? If so, what do you think should or could be done about it?
4. If a husband and wife
both have work (of any sort) outside the house, should the husband take an equal
share in cooking, cleaning, washing and caring for children in the home? Would
this in fact bring many advantages and blessings to both husband and wife?
5. Do you think that Grade 12 girls and boys have equal opportunities to enjoy
leisure activities, to make friends, find time to study, make future plans,
travel and play sports?
6. Nepal is the only country in the world where women have a lower life expectancy than man. Explain why so many women die at a young age.
7. Family planning - choosing the number and spacing of children - is vitally important, not only to the country, but also to parents wanting to preserve the mother's health, and have enough resources to give their children a good start in life. There are many methods, both temporary (for delaying pregnancy) and permanent (when no more children are wanted). Find out about these methods and then discuss how husbands and wives in Nepal tend to make decisions about family planning. Could this decision-making process be easier?
8. What is a dowry? Why do people give dowries? Does giving dowries create hardships for individuals or families? Does it violate the human rights of women?
9. What is the current legal position regarding women's right to property? Can you put forward reasons for and against women and men having equal rights to their father's property?
10. At the moment, how many women are Cabinet Ministers in Nepal? Discuss your findings with your classmates.
11. Do research to find the total number of men and women teachers in the primary and secondary schools in your area. Write a good account of your research methods. For instance, write about who you spoke with to find the information, how many people you talked to, what you asked them, how they responded, etc. Create a display of your research methods and results. Include in the display comments on what you have discovered and why you think the results turned out as they did.
12. Invite a woman who is active in public life, education or business to come and speak to your class. Prepare questions to ask her about her career, the problems she faces at home and in her work because she is a woman, how she manages her home responsibilities, how she feels about women's position in society, etc.
13. Is there a difference in the way women are perceived and the role they have in the different ethnic groups, castes and religious groups throughout Nepal? Explain your answer giving at least 5 examples.
14. Will laws that promote equality for women be enough to ensure women a better position in society. If not, how can women and men work together to take action to end discrimination and empower women?
15. Should political parties, VDCs, schools, offices etc. be made to have equal numbers of men and women in positions at all levels? If so, why? If not, why not?
16. Nepal can be proud of the fact that women in the country have the right to vote. How can women be encouraged to use this right? Give at least 5 ways.
17. What cultural traditions limit the freedom of women in Nepal?
18. What cultural traditions help to advance the role of women in Nepal?
Long Answer Questions:
Wherever appropriate, write 2 or 3 good paragraphs on the following topics.
CONCLUSION <TOP>
In this unit you have learned that:
COURSE REVIEW <TOP>
SHORT AND LONG ANSWER ESSAY QUESTIONS
The following essays need careful planning. Write the essays as if you were explaining your ideas to someone who knows nothing about the subject. This means you must use definitions to explain key words, write in simple language and give reasons for your statements. Use examples when appropriate to strengthen your arguments. Each sentence should be planned to say exactly what you mean as clearly as possible.
You must write at least 4-6 good paragraphs for the essays below. When you
are through with each essay, show them to two different classmates and two people
outside of class to ask for suggestions on ways to strengthen the essays to
make them more understandable. If you think the suggestions are useful, include
them in a revised version of your essays. When you are through, turn your essays
in to your teacher.
Back to Civic Education | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 5 | Unit 6 | Back to Contents