| Author | Joshi, Sona |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GD-97-02 |
| Subject(s) | Women in agriculture--Nepal
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The area under study is predominantly inhabited by Newar villagers whose main
occupation is agriculture. The government agriculture census is the main source of data on
human resources for the country. There are inadequacies of concepts, definitions of terms,
and methods used in the agriculture census that reflect the different roles and contributions of
men and women in agriculture. The result is undervaluation and underrepresentation of
women's work in statistics. This study therefore aimed to identify the various work done by
women and men in agricultural operation and household activities, and their respective
economic contribution to household economy. Further, an attempt is made to assess the extent
that women's work is counted in national Agriculture Census of Nepal and to suggest
measures for policy change with regard to gender specific statistics to reflect women's actual
contribution to agricultural production.
The study was conducted in Lubhu VDC located in Lalitpur district. A total of 124
sample households were surveyed, and 10 men and 10 women were taken as indepth analysis
of their various activities performed by them in 24 hours.
The research studied the participation of women and men in agriculture and household
activities. It concentrated on the gender roles and responsibilities in agriculture and household
activities by using Havard Analytical Framework, the activity profile.
The survey revealed that there is gender division of labor in agriculture and household
activities. Some works are sole responsibilities of men and some works are exclusively done
by women. Time use study showed that women's work is for longer hours, tedious, full of
drudgery and fragmented than men's work. Men's work is concentrated and is for shorter
periods. Women's total work in agriculture and household activities was significantly higher
than men's work.
There has been gender bias in development policy and its implementation because they
did not pay attention to women fa1mer's roles, needs and interest. Extension services and
training were always targeted to male farmers, women lagged behind from getting benefit
because oflack of recognition of women's contribution in agriculture.
The study concludes with fu1iher recommendations for conceptualization of women's
work load by reviewing all concepts, definitions and methods used in Agriculture Census of
Nepal and suggests formulation of gender responsive planning and policies. |
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Gender and Development Studies (GD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kelkar, G.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Earth, B. ;Morishita, H.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Netherlands Government; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1998 |