Relationship Between Women Empowerment and Target Budget Program: A Case Study of Likhu VDC of Dolpa
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Department of Sociology
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data collected from field survey and secondary from various published/unpublished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
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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.