Socio-economic status of women (A case study of rural women of Dharmasthali VDC in Kathmandu District)

Abstract

Women in Nepal experience marginalization at social, economic and political levels which impinges on their health, education and legal status. Our social belief is that women are basically inferior and their labour and efforts are less valuable than that of men. Women are still behind men economically and socially due to patriarchal and conservative norms of the society.

The objective of the study is to examine the socio-economic status of women of Dharmasthali Village Development Committee. The specific objectives are follows: To analyze socio-economic condition of the women in the study area, to assess the status of women in rural household, to assess and examine the levels of awareness of women and to examine the role of women in agriculture.

The study has been carried out in 38 households. To select the respondents random sampling technique was used. The study is based primarily on the information collected during the field survey in the study area by administering questionnaire, interview and observations. The findings may not be generalized to the national level.

Women are disadvantaged politically, legally, socially and economically. Providing women with education, job training and basic services to ease household responsibilities are ways to empower women. The wide range of utilization and exposure of mass media made them consciousness about the events of the surroundings. Agriculture is the important source for the livelihood for the majority of the women. It is found that women lives remained centered on their traditional roles- taking care of most household chores, fetching water and animal fodder and doing farm. The economic contribution of women is substantial, but largely unnoticed because their traditional role was taken for granted. Their employment outside the household generally was limited to planting, weeding, and harvesting.

The findings of the study are as follows. 1. It is found from the study that the inter caste marriage has been accepted in the society. 34% of the women said that they got married to the inter caste family where as majority 66% of them said within their caste. Nuclear family has been dominantly preferred rather than the joint family. Usually joint family has been the choice of the illiterate women. 2. The literacy rates of women are 53 percent. Even though they are literate it’s the male dominated societies. But it still indicates and proves that it's patriarchal society where in the male is very powerful and female are dominated no matter how educated the female is in the family, they are more exploited and get less access in terms of health, education, employment & other areas. The reason of women inferior & their labour regarded less valuable is due to the illiteracy, conservative tradition & poverty 3. It is found that women have been the instrumental factor both in household and agricultural activities even though they are less respected and has low socio-economic status. Apart from it, the role and status of women are very much confined within the household activities as house wives. The study shows that female shares the activities along with the male counter part. Women are neglected while making the decision may it be either household activities or external affairs. 4. The level of awareness in terms of sanitation, balance diet and family planning is 82%, which means the level of awareness is high in the society. 97 % of them urged that there should be legal provision made for the reservation of seats for women in the education, employment, health and political sectors. 100% of the women used the electricity and tape water as the sources of energy & drinking water which suggest that they are using the basic infrastructure facilities. 68% of the women used fire woods for cooking, which suggested that fire woods are widely utilized as the sources of fuels for cooking because of the wide spread availability of fire woods which saves money. 5. Degradation of the environment increases the work load of the women. The extensive work load is due to the responsibilities of the house hold and agricultural activities. 6. Women of the study area suggested that education as the instrumental factor for the improvement of the role and status of women in the society; the lack of education that prevents the women from solving the problems physically and mentally.

This study shows that female is less literate and is neglected in every field. Within the family, an educated woman did not necessarily hold a higher status than her uneducated counterpart. The overall status of women is much lower as compared to their male counterparts. Despite of exposure and access to basic infrastructural facilities in the sector of mass media, health and sanitation, yet women's lives remained centered on their traditional roles--taking care of most household chores, fetching water and animal fodder, and doing farm work. The discriminatory attitude among parents towards a son and a daughter is much less. But of the parents, especially the uneducated ones seem to have very high preference to sons. The illiterate women of the study area preferred the joint family.

The recommendations are; Provide women with an education, job training. Practice public speaking, practicing public speaking is one way to give women confidence to speak their minds and contribute to conversations and decision-making within and outside the household. The government, INGO and NGOs have to implement the program that would encourage the young children to go to school, improve the laws to increase women's rights and provide women with micro-credit to start their own businesses.