Gender based stratification in Nepali society

The word gender is being used sociologically and has been one of the major agendas of discourse, including the socio-political, intellectual and disciplinary discussion and debates. In Nepal, it has been the hot issue before and after the 2nd Jana Andolan.Gender issues like woman’s violence, the concern of property right, the question of proportionate representative in NGOs and GOs, attitudes and belief system towards woman, religious and cultural based discrimination, etc. are making the hot debate among the various group of people, including political parties, feminists, social worker, etc.

According to Kamala Bhasin, an Indian scholar and feminist, defined gender as- in its new incarnation gender refers to the socio-cultural definition of man and woman, the way societies distinguish man and woman and assign them social roles.

Whereas sex is the biological predisposition of man and woman, gender is the socio- cultural and political manifestation of man and woman. As elsewhere, gender is the key locus of the cultural structure in Nepal. The construction of gender and gender relations may very from society to society in terms of age, life related positions within family, caste, ethnicity, class, region, etc. Gender based discrimination is highly experienced with the patrilineality and patrilocality which contribute to an extremely unequal level of life opportunities between man and woman.

How the gender based discrimination is expressed 
1.    The high rituals and other values (especially, Hindu based rituals in Nepal) attached to son as against daughters make emphasis on gender specific socialization.
2.    Highly gender based access to household productive resources, income and household decision making and schooling are the issues greatly discussed and these are the specific concern of gender based discrimination in Nepal.
Unpaid economic participation, unequal access to public decision making structures and low public facilities, a

Barriers and mal practices to gender equity and gender based Relation in Nepal
•    Patriarchal society- That means the authority of family and society lie on male head of the family.
•    Patrilineal Society- That means descent and property transforms from male head of family to offspring
•    Belief, Values and norms are as against to woman’s welfare and justice-Chaupadi    and Dewaki in far western region of Nepal, for instance, provide evidence of how woman’s dignity , justice and their basic right are threatened and violated
•    Non sense practices prevailing in society- The popular non-sense practices like witchcrafts and dowry system in many parts of Nepal, especially in the middle Terai, are as against the practices of woman’s justice and welfare.
•    Category of work and burden- Women in developing countries like ours have to shoulder 3 burdens at a time- reproduction, house hold chores and outside work (in underdeveloped societies reproduction is taken as burden, since many of the women can not get proper care and health facilities during the gestation period and in the post delivery period).
•    Lack of implementation of woman related law- Due to the deeply rooted social values, woman’s law like property right bill and abortion bill are not being effectively implemented. 
•    Domestic violence and sexual abuses- Domestic violence is on increasing and sexual abuses are rampant. But the law related to these problems are either not effective or are ambiguous in meaning and interpretation, giving the defendant or culprit more chances to get free.
•    Religion and social beliefs- Some religions like Hindu and Islam, in its extreme form, are barriers for the uplift  and equity of women (many aspects mentioned in their religious books are against the welfare of woman)
•    Maternal mortality rate- As compared to other SAARC countries and developed countries, the maternal and neo-natal mortality rate in Nepal is high. It is due to the lack of proper health care and health facilities provided to the many of rural women in Nepal.