Paid work, unpaid care work and women's empowerment in Nepal

Abstract

Employment and work surveys in Nepal have shown a high concentration of women in certain occupations, being flexible, low paid and requiring low skill. In the far-western region (Jumla District, Karnali Zone), the Government of Nepal provides employment to women and men through a public works programme, the Karnali Employment Programme (KEP). This paper assesses the empowerment potential of the KEP and similar employment programmes, and questions whether paid work leads to economic empowerment for women. It provides a glimpse into work patterns in low-income families in Nepal, and juxtaposes the goal of women's economic empowerment through entry into the labour market with their lived realities and needs. The paper uses ILO's Decent Work framework to argue that two key aspects are critical for women's empowerment through paid work: firstly, quality; and secondly, a positive balance between paid work, unpaid work and care work.

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