Author: Sweta Thapa
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no.GD-12-01
Year: 2012
Academic Program: Gender and Development Studies (GDS)
Type: Thesis (M. Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2012
Examination Committee: Kyoko Kusakabe (Chairperson); Philippe Doneys, Mokhbul Morshed Ahmad (Examination Committee Members)
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 sugges
Scholarship Donor(s): Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship (Partial)
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
Advisory: Full-text is available at https://library.ait.ac.th/ (accessible to local ip address only)
