Socio-Cultural aspect of gender equity/equality and democracy in Nepal

Krishna B. Bhattachan Ph.D, T.U

Meaning of Gender equity and/or equality

Many Nepalese scholars and gender activists often are confused when they use equity and equality synonymously, some use it exclusively either gender equity or gender equality and some use it as supplementary and complementary to each other. Anyway a discourse on ‘equity’ and on equality have different wavelengths.

Equity means fairness or right judgement and equality does not necessarily mean equity. I, therefore, feel that the taken-for-granted meaning of equity and equality is very problematic. “Equity,’ in law, is a set of rules that was originally developed to overcome flexibility in government decisions. ‘Equity,’ in law, is a set of rules that was originally developed to overcome flexibility in government decisions. ‘Equity is based on broad principles of reason and justice. It allows the law to adjust to special circumstances of case.” “In the early days, the laws were often applied so strictly that they created injustice. “According to the MIT economist Lester Thurow, “Equity is the more philosophically and economically complex concept because it is highly normative and focuses on the just distribution of economic resources.” “Equity does not necessarily imply equity.” Equity is a more straightforward mathematical concept that reflects the extent of differences with respect to the possession of any desired goods, resources, or services.

Socio-Cultural fields of gender inequality

In Nepalese society there are many socio-cultural fields of gender inequality and some may be common to all culture but many vary from one culture top another. Some socio- cultural inequality occurs at the household level and some occurs at the community level.

Socio-culture-based Gender inequality at the household level

Gender inequality at the household level is very conspicuous. Gender discrimination is widely preventable from birth to death. Family members learn it through the process of socialization such as conditioning, imitation, indoctrination, anticipatory socialization and active gender roles. It is a bitter fact that most of the families in Nepal are authoritarian, not democratic, for women and girl child of the family because of the persistence of the following types if gender discrimination:

Daughter as a liability: In Hindu society and culture daughters are taken as liabilities. Parent and other family members want sons, not daughters. If son is born parent celebrates by throwing out a big party for all relatives, friends and community members but if daughter is born they become sad. Sons and daughters are further discriminated in childcare, foods clothing, education, play, work and social mobility. Most of the parents do nor want to invest money for daughter because they believe that she is some one’s property, not theirs.

In non-Hindu society and culture, particularly that of the indigenous peoples such Gurung, Magar, Rai, Limbu and Tamang traditionally there is no discrimination between son and daughter. They generally do not take daughter as liability. However, in the lastly 230 years, the process of internal colonization or Hinduization or Sanskritization has forced many indigenous people to emulate Hindu social and cultural values. In such families, like Hindu families, daughters are taken as liability.

Daijo/Tilak related torture: In Hindu society and culture daughters do not get parental property but during daughter’s marriage, the groom’s family demand cash and kind which many bride’s parents can not afford. Daijo/Tilak is widely prevalent in the Madhise communities of the Terai. The problem is indeed very acute in these communities. If the bride brings less amount of Daijo/Tilak, she is often harassed and nowadays there is increasing cases of bride burning by the groom’s family members. Also, many brides commit suicide due to depression resulting from such harassment.

Untouchability: All Hindu women are treated as untouchables for four to five days during menstruation and for few days after child delivery. Untouchability is not practiced by indigenous peoples but it is practiced by those who are Hinduized or Sanskritized. In far-western and mid-western Nepal, Hindu women must live in a small hut called Chhaukullo or in cowshed during menstruation and child delivery.

Dalit women (and men) have been traditionally treated as “untouchables.” Through the Muluki Ain (New National Code) of 1963 abolished untouchability, its practices continue unabated. Dalit women are not allowed top fetch water from public water sources, enter the temple and other public places. Many Dalit women are sexually exploited but if they should become pregnant boys abandon them or if the boys marry them, they are not accepted by their (husband’s) families. Their children become citizenless as they are not entitles to get citizenship certificate without known fathers.

Child-marriage, polygamy and mismatch marriage: Child marriage is still prevalent in some hilly areas and in most parts of the Terai. Although the Census data of 1991 show that mean age at marriage has increased from 15.4 in 1961 to 18.1 in 1991, 7.6 percent girls are married at the age of 10 to 14. Married girl child is deprived of education, increase workload, and suffer from health, including reproductive problems.

In the case of polygamy, polygyny is widely practiced whereas polyandry is practiced by some mountain communities, such as Dolpali, Lopha, Baragaunle, Manange. Polyandry has been a customary practice but polygyny exists through the laws have made it illegal.

Mismatch marriage is also common in the Hills and Terai. Often the husband is aged and girl-wife is either a teenager or very young. Most of them become widow when they are still young and widows have low status in the Hindu society and culture.

Domestic violence: Domestic violence, both physical and mental, appears to be one of the very widely prevalent problems in Nepal. Almost all women victims do not speak out against the violence done by their family members.

Socio-Cultural factors of Gender inequality

Even in democracy, if certain dominant socio-cultural factors are not addressed properly, gender inequality continues to reproduce and democracy may be challenged by these factors.

Patriarchy: in Nepal we have Patriarchal and residue of Matrilineal and/or Matrilocal societies. In Nepal and other South Asian societies, patriarchal institutions include family, religion, legal system, political institutions, media, and educational institutions.

Hegemony or Dominance of Hindu Cultural Values (Bahunbad)

Historical unfairness and injustice were and are created by Bahunbad or Brahmanbad or Brahamanism or Hindu cultural values. Women in general have become its victim and women belonging to so-called “low cast” or Dalits and indigenous ethnic groups have become double victims: one as women in general and the other as Dalit/indigenous women.

One of the emerging patterns of Nepal’s democracy is a tendency of ruling political party or parties to maintain, sustain, and reinforce the process of hegemony or domination on the one hand, and homogenization of culture and ideology on the other; both continuing since the project of territorial unification in 1978. Such coercive practice goes against the very social structure of Nepal and the spirit of democracy.

Religious, cultural and social dominance of Hinduism and Hindu Values, and caste and ethnic fairness and justice have negatively affected to non-Hindu women. Women of so-called “high” casts are single victim by their so-called high caste men. Due to the Hindu values of purity and pollution of casts and foods and hierarchy Dalit women have become triple victims by so-called high caste men and women, by their own and other men. Similarly women of so-called “Matawali” (“liquor drinking caste”) or indigenous ethnic groups, who are more than 61, and other religious/linquistic groups are double victim, one as a women by men and another as a group with their own culture, religion, language by the dominant groups who follow Hindu culture and religion, and speak Khas Nepali language. Similarly,  Hindu men and women dominate non-Hindus, particularly animists, Bon, Buddhist, Lamaist, Islam and Christians. Nepali language speaking men and women dominate women who speak their own mother tongues—there are more than 125 languages and dialects in Nepal. Also, Pahadi or Hill men and women dominate Madhise men and women. These differences have come to surface because of socio-cultural diversity. Principle of equality is based on a criterion of inclusion and subsequently “cultural differences between communities, their ways of life, systems or moral values, modes of dress and address” are now accepted positively.

It is unfortunate that women activists and leaders of so-called “high casts” are for gender equity and gender equality but they have shown very cold approach towards the sufferings of women belonging to Dalits and indigenous ethnic groups. Also, they are sensitive enough about domination, suppression, oppression, and subjugation of the later groups by default of being the omen to “high casts”. Exclusion, marginalization and alienation of Dalits, indigenous, Madhise and Muslim women in way help to realize gender equity and gender equality in Nepal.

means to reduce/elimiante socio-cultural-based gender inequality

The most important to reduce, if possible to eliminate, socio-cultural-based gender inequalities are gender struggle for decentralized household, selective cooperation and partnership and selective antagonism and confrontation, positive discrimination (equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes), reform or movement or revolution.

Gender Struggle for decentralized household: One of the main gender struggles should be waged at the household level. Such struggle should be directed in two fronts, one within the household and another between households and larger institutions. In Nepal households are very authoritarian or undemocratic or highly centralized power and authority of men. Therefore, one of the preconditions for reducing or if possible eliminating gender inequality is the decentralization at the household level.

Selective cooperation and partnership and selective antagonism and confrontation: Even in democracy, many men tend to believe that women’s equal right movement is directed against men and that women can actually gain nothing with such confrontational approach. They interpret equal property rights and right to one’s own body as women’s ploy against men. Also, gender sensitization programs have been blamed for increasing family conflicts. On the other hand, some gender activists believe antagonism is not required. They say that want is required and desired is partnership between women and men and girls and boys. Some other gender activists believed that selective confrontation is required if women’s plight should be heard by men and also if antagonism is not required. They say that what is required and desired is partnership between women and men and girls and boys. Some other gender activists believe that selective confrontation is required if women’s plight should be heard by men and also if women should really achieve gender equality and equity.

Positive discrimination (Equality of opportunity and Equality of outcomes)

One of the most debatable social issues in Nepal is positive discrimination or affirmative action for women and other disadvantaged groups. In Nepal although policy makers are yet to be convinced but all gender activists and activists of other disadvantaged groups very strongly believe that it is one of the very effective means to bridge the gender gap that has been manufactured in centuries.

Conclusion

If we look at gender equity and gender equality and democracy from socio-cultural vantage point, we must say that there is neither gender equity/equality nor democracy for women and girl child. To realize gender equity and gender equality we need equitable democracy but not the democracy of the present form, which essentially is a rule of the men, by the men, for men and to the men. Instead, it should be a rule in partnership of both women and men, by both women and men, for both women and men, and to both women and men. Gender equity/equality and democracy can and should go together, not in isolation.

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