| Author | Thapa, Sweta |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GD-12-01 |
| Subject(s) | Women and the military--Nepal
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. GD-12-01 |
| Abstract | This study explores the state of employment of women intheNepalArmy and seeks to identifythe biological, psychological and socio-cultural challenges faced by women in theircareer development in the Nepal Army. It also investigatesthe measures adopted by Army for women to overcome challenges brought about by the factors that obstruct the careersof women.Women have been traditionally defined as the caretaker in the family. Today, however, women are increasinglyinvolved in jobs outside the home. This challenges the masculine notion and gender stereotypical workroles. It provides more money and respect to women but, it also imposes major challenges to women’s work and home responsibilities.In many countries, single women in their20’s and early 30’s are now better educated and earn more on average than men. This upend decades if not centuries of precedent where men have earned more and had a greater labor force participation rate. In Nepal, the civil service is male-dominated and women’s presence is very minimal. According to the 2010 Central Bureau of Statistics, women constitute only 12% ofthe entire bureaucracycompared to their national share of the population of 51%. The estimated strength of the Nepal Army (NA) is 90,000, and there are only 1,522active female troops as of early 2012. While the number of women is seemingly very low compared to the number of men, the increasing number of women joining the ranks of the NA is a positive trend. Yet, Nepali women soldiers continue to face the challenges such ashome responsibilities, less educational opportunities, biological stereotypes, socio-cultural factors,and institutions that hinder or obstruct promotion compared to their male counterparts.Men do not face most of these challenges, so women troops overcome many more hurdles as they seek to stay in and work their way up the ranks.Despite some limitations of sample selection, the findings suggest that the main reason for joining the Army for women is their interest in governmentjob. Females are oftentreated as secondclass citizens in various social, judicial, financial, political and cultural contexts. These reasons together with disparity against women and the patriarchal norms and beliefs are factorsfor their slow advancement in military. Poverty and unemployment are other factors. The most difficult times experienced by women recruits are during the time of their basic training. They face various health related problems. After the recruitment,female personnel whose spouse is from the same profession have less burden and more support from the family than the women whose spouse are from different professions. Considering the challenges women face,the NA has adopted measures for inclusive development irrespective ofgender, caste and class andspecial provisions for female recruits duringtraining and at work to facilitate better performance. |
| Year | 2012 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. GD-12-01 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Gender and Development Studies (GD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kusakabe, Kyoko |
| Examination Committee(s) | Doneys, Philippe;Ahmad, Mokhbul Morshed; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship (Partial) |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2012 |