Women's Status in Society.

WOMEN'S STATUS IN SOCIETY

The family's view

Most Nepali families are dominated by patrirchal values which condemns the woman

to commit herself to the household. This deprives her the right to be educated

because she is brought up with only one purpose, to be married and take up traditional

work to run the home. Families tend not to value or consider female children to be

of much more importance because they cannot supply their family with financial

support since they leave their home once married.

Recently this has changed, girls are now of more value than males, however this is for

the wrong reasons. These girls are vital to the sex-industry.

Sex discrimination

Gender-discrimination leads to disparities in health, education and working opportunities

for women. Malnutrition and lack of healthcare results in higher infant mortality rate and lower

life expectancy for females than for males.

On average worldwide women normally live longer than menbut this is not

the case in Nepal where 55 is the male life expectancy and only 53 years of age for women.

The fact that women have a lower status also shows on statistics about education and

labour force. Not only do they have no possibility to go school (literacy rate: male 38% - female 13%)

or work but they are also discriminated during job offers and enrollment procedures (98% of all males are chosen compared to 60%

of females who apply for primary school enrollment).

Cultural Effects

Nepali women's low social status is also a result of a cultural heritage over a long development

of history, religion and traditions which cannot be changed in just a matter of a few days.

This contributes immensely to the lack of education, prostitution, rape and violence

suffered; it is turning into a vicious circle where the women affected are submitting themselves

and their children to an unnecessary life of hardship and depravity.