Patriarchy in Nepal Essay Example

effects on developed nations as well.

One prime example of a modern day patriarchal legal system and society is that of Nepal, an ancient patriarchal culture set atop the high mountain ranges and low sweeping valleys of the Himalayas.Nepal is a nation that gives little status to women, women are underprivileged, underrepresented and are exploited in all areas of society, from that of domestic affairs, to the discussions within the government (LaliguransWomenSkill. com). The reasons behind this trend are to be found within the socio-cultural views held by the majority of the Nepalese population, political forces upholding patriarchal views, economic constraints placed upon women as well as the educationally limited situation the other factors create for the Nepalese women.These factors force the women of Nepal to live in perpetual subjugation to men in their society.

Nepal as of 2008 is a democratic republic with a working constitution which provides all who reside there with human rights protection, comparable to any developed nations constitution, giving universal rights to freedoms, like freedom of speech and assembly, as well as rights to equality and rights against forms of discrimination(2006, Grieve, 97). Though these rights have been placed upon paper does not mean the current legal system addresses them.In the case of Nepal the legal system has not done enough to ensure that the Nepalese women are free from paternal forces. Laws have been created in accordance to the constitution, but yet significant change has not yet occurred for the Nepalese women, while some laws are even still in line with that of a patriarchal social system.

Reasons for the lack of social change are for various reasons. The

most prominent reason being that of the socio-cultural climate of Nepal which has its base firmly rooted in tradition, a tradition which maintains the belief that women are inferior to men, and are to live in subjugation to fathers and husbands.This view manifested in tradition, finds its strongest footing in religion, where the belief is held that the only avenue for a female to obtain salvation is through the breeding of sons (LaliguransWomenSkill. com). This belief provides a social constraint that works against the empowerment of women, because the birth of a woman serves no religious purpose, and therefore is the undesired outcome of conception, and furthermore proves that women are undesirable and are only to serve specific purposes within Nepalese society.

In some rural communities the traditionalism and conservatism is so strong that women are not permitted to move freely outside of the household, which is a blatant violation of human rights, and clearly exemplifies the patriarchal system at work. As well the socio-cultural climate maintains a strong patriarchal undertone to the effect that lines of lineage are traced through the father, similar to many other nations, as well as inheritance moving strictly from father to son within all communities in Nepal. The analysis of marriage within Nepal gives insight into the patriarchal tones within the legal system there.A marriage can occur in different forms in Nepal, all of which involve the bride to a very small extent. A marriage may be predetermined by the parents even before the child is born, and that child may be sent to the other family upon birth, or upon arrival of sexual maturity(2008, Charles, 167).

A marriage, if

not predetermined, usually occurs in a females late teens, yet the female will still have little say in the matter. Marriage is understood in Nepal as a social contract between two family clans rather than a bride and a groom, which although is not stated in legislation, is effectively perpetuated by tradition.The act of marriage is a very important one to a Nepalese woman, for it is to determine all that makes up her future. The marriage will decide, where and with whom, and under which circumstances the woman will live, most likely for the rest of her life.

This issue of paternal decision making for daughters serves to greatly limit the aspirations of women in Nepal and hinders their freedom greatly. In the dominant religion in Nepal, Hinduism, marriage is considered as being an essential part of life that all must partake in, which gives rationale to the act of an early marriage.Early marriages occur as well because of the deep concern associated with the purity of a bride's body, and or the need for assistance on the farm or in the household. Due to this particular approach to marriage, it is not uncommon to find a husband and wife whom are separated in age by decades, especially if a first wife has past or was divorced.

As well, in some rural areas of Nepal polygamy still occurs, although outlawed, lack of intervention and awareness provides the necessary factors for its continuation, and provides yet another piece of evidence great paternal forces in Nepal.Early marriages and breeding result in great consequences to the women of Nepal. This is because of the insurmountable burden pregnancy

and child rearing places upon a women, for child rearing and pregnancy are a time and energy consuming processes and when entwined with the great deal of domestic duties required of the Nepalese women, make it impossible to consider obtaining an education, which will result in confining them to the household and farm for the entirety of their lives. This result is a more palatable one when compared to that of unsuccessful attempts at conception.

If a new bride cannot conceive she may be subjected to great amounts of abuse both from the husband, as well as the rest of the family clan, for she cannot fulfill one of the only purposes laid out for her. In a case where conception results in a female birth, conception of a new child will quickly follow. This occurrence is common, and may go until a male child is produced, sometimes a woman may go through pregnancy three or four times in quick succession which may result in only girls, and this tends to result in negative physical ramification for the mother.These negative physical conditions produced by too many births, too close together, at a very young age, with little or no medical attention, act in some cases as grounds for the husband to divorce his wife, for she may no longer be able to bear children, and therefore the husband will not breed a son. This situation is implacable in the minds of many, but yet it reveals the true value of women held in Nepal, as simple items to be utilized by men.

This occurrence is common in Nepal, yet the legal system has done nothing to

effectively address this issue in a meaningful way.In the case where a woman is unable to produce progeny, a man may seek divorce from her. In this case women are provided with little security. If they are divorced and have no way to provide for themselves, the husband will be required to pay a small expenditure in relation to his earnings to aid the wife. In the case of property claims the wife has no rights, she cannot take a claim to her husbands' land, nor can she attempt to make a claim for her fathers' land.

This leaves women with essentially no options under the current political, social, and economical climate in Nepal, and many women are forced to the streets.In the case where a woman may want to divorce her husband, for physical and mental abuse is common, she again has little choice. She cannot claim any land, has little access to money, and is uneducated, and is therefore forced to remain in her tumultuous condition. Through inspecting the economy of Nepal a more complete image of women's role in society is manifested.

A large proportion of the Nepalese population lives in rural areas, approximately 85 percent, and of that 85 percent approximately 81 percent work in subsistent agriculture.Of that subsistent rural agricultural population, a majority of the burden of work falls upon the women. About 75 percent of the subsistent economic activity is done by the women as well as the taking care to approximately 85 percent of the social and domestic work as well. It was stated in a report on the Nepalese economy that women on average worked 3.

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more hours a day then their sexual counterparts (LaliguransWomenSkill. com). Women are required to take care of the hauling grain reserves, caring for livestock, growing vegetables, and enacting all necessary duties associated with growing and harvesting a crop.These lists and figures blatantly depict the subjugated grunts women have been moulded into through the use of an oppressive patriarchal socio-cultural and socio-political system.

The Nepalese political climate must also be taken into account when analysing the factors which allow for the continual oppression of Nepalese women. Although constitution amendments occurred and brought the Nepalese constitution on par with that of other nations, it did not mean these amendments were realized in the real world.The constitution claims to guarantee equal treatment before the law and equal pay to men and women for similar work, yet women are still underscored in cases with pertinence to these guarantees as well as being greatly under represented and under heard in parliament in regards to their inequalities. The current legal and cultural set up in Nepal supports the patriarchal mentality and serves to suppress any conflict between husband and wife, rather than attempting to address those issues and develop an egalitarian society.Through the analysis of what makes Nepal a patriarchal society it can be seen that there are multiple factors contributing to the perpetuation of the patriarchal systems. In order to eradicate this total paternal influence from Nepalese society and begin to point the nose of change towards equality, several steps must be taken.

For one and most importantly the role the government is playing must be increased greatly. The implementation of different social programmes targeting the education of women must

be done in order for any positive social change down the road to occur.For if all remain in ignorance to their current situation, both men and women, and then the situation can only continue. Women must realize that they are not meant to be confined to such a circumstance, and thought the accumulation of knowledge will be better equipped to escape subservience to men. Through the deconstruction and analysis of the social, economic and political situations in Nepal it is clear that almost all systems have been developed in such a way to promote and maintain a patriarchal society, in which women have been reduced to beasts of burden.

The formation of this cognitive manifestation owes a great deal to the early myths pertaining to women. Myths about female delicacy and timidity served to allow men to create the belief in both men and women, that women needed the protection of man. Through this, patriarchal systems have developed to such an extent that the image of women has been created in such a sense as to make women appear inferior to men.This has allowed for societies, like Nepal, to wholly subjugate their women and force upon them the belief that they are inferior, and that they are to be led by men in every aspect of their lives. This could not be further from the truth, and a paradigm shift must occur in both the men and the women of Nepal.

The government should use its influence in an attempt to direct and speed up the process of major social change towards and egalitarian society. For if nothing is done now, to change the path of

patriarchal development, then the daughters of Nepal may be forever subjected to the tyranny of men.