Decision making role of women in household level: A case study of Amalachaur village of Baglung Municipality

Abstract

The study was conducted to analyze the role of women participation in household decision making process in Amalachaur VDC of Baglung district. The study aims to examine the socioeconomic

status of women & to explore the problems of women in decision making process. Thus, this study is the key study to find out the situation of women in rural Nepalese community.This study was based on the qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The data were described on descriptive and exploratory method. This study aims to meet the target objectives with the help of primary and secondary data. In the domestic sphere they are household managers, mothers and wives, in community they maintain social and cultural services, predominantly on a voluntary basis and in economy, most of them are not formally engaged as employees or entrepreneurs; they are active in family business and agriculture. Due to low access to own economic activities their economic status is low. Which directly affect the decision making process. More than 45% respondents have less than 5 ropani land and only 22% respondents have ownership of land. 29% respondents have education above SLC who are quite active in household decision making process. In fact, the women who were higher in socio-economic status had opportunity to lead their family. Also find that the female headed family or the family in which male members are outside the country women make household decision significantly. The finding showed some inherent factors of decision making. Among all the respondents 27.78% respondents give first position to illiteracy, 22.22% believe poverty is the main reason to make them less decisive, similarly 25.93 % gives conservative social norms first position, and 24.07% believe lack of access & control over land and property causes their low role in decision making process. These components were the main fences for women in making decision In conclusion, the study found that the status of women in Amalachaur VDC was measerable in decision making process in their family. The main causes of not getting decision making power are illiteracy, conservative social norms & values, poverty, less involvement in income generating activities. Thus the important thing to consider is educating the women and let them to involve in income generating activities. Conservative social norms and values should not be taken into practice for the betterment of the women and the society.