Relationship Between Women Empowerment and Target Budget Program: A Case Study of Likhu VDC of Dolpa

Abstract

Women empowerment is a process of social development from sociological perspective. In this realization, state mechanism also has been implementing target budget program in local level since couple of years. As an outcome of such program, women are now participating in various capacity and skill development trainings. Women are becoming aware and skillful and also playing social, economic and political role in the society. The study entitled‘RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND TARGET BUDGET PROGRAM: A CASE STUDY OF LIKHU VDC OF DOLPA’conducted to assess status and impact of target budget program and women empowerment process. Post-positivism research paradigm applied for analyzing the relationships between study variables. Survey research design was followed and household survey, key informant interview and focus group discussions techniques were used for collecting data. Taking sample purposively and randomly 81 HHs (9 HHs from each wards), local authorities, gatekeepers and successful cases were selected. Primary data collected from field survey and secondary from various published/unpublished books, journals, articles. The administration of the questionnaires took into consideration of the research objectives, the sequence of questions, question structure as well as ethical considerations. The descriptive and analytical analysis of the data concentrated on socio-economic and political role of women in the society. The research study found that, 71.60% of the households are following Hindu and 12.34% Christian religious practices. Because of patriarchal social structures still 56.8% respondents are still facing caste-based discrimination practices and 32.1% respondents also stated that people have negative attitude on female education. 35 respondents have 4-6 children. Because of social stratification, 38.2% of the HHs have <5 ropani land, 13.7% HHs are landless and 83.8% HHs are facing food deficit. However, mean value of annual income (>2, 00,000) and expenditure (>1, 00,000), mode value of income (1, 00,000-1, 49,000) and expenditure (90, 000-1, 49,000), Std. deviation of income (1, 07,984) and expenditure (80,008) shows that annual income and expenditure is normally distributed and 41.9% women are feeling medium level social status in the society. More specifically, 41.9% sample women are involving in different livelihood activities for 8 hours in which 33.3% women are performing agriculture based activities. Most of the women have contributed 10,000-15,000 NRs monthly income

vii for livelihood. And 46.2% of them are investing 2,000-5,000 NRs for child schooling and even 13.5% women are sending their children in institutional schools. Value of correlation (0.249) between annual income and monthly child invest is found moderate positive. And 62.0% of sample women strongly agreed that there is a significant role of education in women empowerment and 66.7% have understood objectives of target budget program. Likewise, 34.5% sample women stated that it is major affecting factor for women empowerment that has been provided economic opportunities. However, value of chi square test (0.059) between reasons for implementing target budget program and affecting factors of women empowerment program shows independent relationship. Similarly, 65.4% sample women are well familiar with women empowerment process and most of them participated in skill development trainings. 45.9% women are playing passive role in decision making,58.1% women are neglecting their political role in the society. Responses of beneficiaries and authorities from VDCshow that the status and impact of target budget program in empowerment of women is more relevant, efficient, and effective. The program has been fostering positive impact on women empowerment process. But for sustainability of program government must continue this policy in local level and also have to enlarge the size of budget as respondents argued. The research confirmed that status and impact of target budget program has fostered positive impact on women empowerment process in Likhu VDC that is changing socio-economic role of women and transforming rural livelihood. Thus, effective implementation of the program is almost essential for enlarging gender development index, state mechanism must enlarge the size of target budget program in which priority must be given for conducting various skill development training related to food processing and distribution as well as capacity development of the women and culture for investing capital in productive sectors by the sample households are suggested for gaining positive impact by target budget program in this VDC. Lack of enough budget, limited manpower, and limited time bound, with limited logistic and because of academic limitation it could not be an absolute source of information on related topic, but it is able to produce a general feature of Nepalese contexts. It could be guide that opens the door of further research study on problems and prospects of women empowerment process in local level.