A Comparative Study of the Socioeconomic Status of Women in the Jyapu Community of the Lalitpur and Bhaktapur Districts of Nepal <Research Note>

Shrestha Ranjan Prakash

Maharjan Keshav Lall

Rajbhandari Tripti

広島大学現代インド研究 : 空間と社会

Journal of contemporary India studies : space and society, Hiroshima University

Nepal is predominantly a patriarchal society; there are high levels of gender disparity, and women lag behind men both socially and economically. The Jyapu people (a sub-caste of the Newar ethnic group) constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in the Kathmandu Valley. This study explores the economic and social status of Jyapu women by examining their productive/economic roles, their social/community engagement, and their involvement in decision-making processes, with a particular focus on water use and the conservation of stone spouts and traditional wells. The study reveals that Jyapu women are not sufficiently empowered economically to play a major role in wider decision-making processes but that their involvement in community-based activities (including water conservation) and economic entrepreneurship is critical at the domestic and community levels. The study demonstrates that Jyapu women are the major users of traditional water resources and play an important role in the conservation process, possessing longstanding knowledge for climate-change adaptation practices.

Women

economic and social status

Jyapu community

decision making

Society [ 360 ]

eng

広島大学現代インド研究センター

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[ISSN] 2185-8721

[NCID] AA12523588