Professional Documents
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WOMEN -
A Case Study of Kavre District, Nepal
Ishara Mahat
Massey University
Traditional
energy
technologies
Depletion of Increasing
biomass drudgery and
resources deteriorating
health of
women
Intervention
with
Active Alternative Recognition of
participation and Technologies gender roles
involvement of and priorities
women
Practical Strategic
needs needs
Empowerment
Figure 2 demonstrates the potential for For this purpose, an intervention with AETs
empowerment of rural women through is needed. Such intervention should be
AETs. based on recognition of gender concerns at
both macro and micro level in terms of
Due to the limitations of traditional recognising womens roles and
indigenous technologies, there is a need for responsibilities and their priorities regarding
interventions, which help to reduce rural energy, and increasing participation of
womens labour and time, which could be women from planning to implementation of
used for other productive purposes, and to AETs. The focus should be on reducing
improve the health conditions of women. expenditure of human energy rather than
only saving fuel. Hence, it is very important
here to consider both the practical gender
needs that see women supplying the compare the two and to see the changes in
regular energy needs at household level, socio-economic status after having access
and the strategic gender needs related to to alternative energy technologies.
providing opportunities for women to be
involved in social and economic activities I selected Kavre district of Nepal for my
for their self-enhancement and research location. It is one of the hill
empowerment. districts lying in the central development
region (see Figure 2) of the country. Kavre
Research Design is one of the first districts where the REDP
This research study is of an exploratory has made its initial intervention to promote
nature. Both quantitative and qualitative and implement alternative energy
methods were used for data collection and technologies in the country. There are 10
analysis. A household survey was carried districts where the REDP has been
out using standard survey questionnaire; implementing rural energy projects. Kavre
key informant interviews were also district was selected in consideration of the
conducted using structured, and semi fact that the research implications will have
structured checklists. Different methods of a wider application throughout the country,
participatory research, such as social because the features of the mid-hill area
mapping, focus group discussions, activity are representative of many rural parts of the
profiles, and gender analysis matrix, were country as 39 out of 75 districts fall into this
used for detailed case study analysis. category.
Figure 2
Table 2: Implications of Biogas Plant and Electricity as Perceived by Men and Women
Labour Time Resources Culture
-Need to carry more + More time for other -High initial +Good habit of
water work while cooking investment using toilet
with biogas
+less work for +Information from -Initially people
collecting firewood -Long time to cook radios and TVs hesitate to eat the
food with biogas
+Less work for cleaning +Wake up early in the +Less use of cooking because of
Womens dishes and houses morning to work with firewood attached toilet
Group light
+No need to use -Young boys +Change attitude of
kerosene light in every + need less time to hanging around TV men and women
room. cook with little and radios and
quantity reluctant to go to
-More work for dung work
collection +less time in
collecting firewood
+Less work for -Less time in washing -High initial +Positive attitude
collecting firewood dishes and house investment towards village
cleaning sanitation
Mens +Less work for cleaning + Less use of
Group -less time for firewood +Change attitude of
collecting firewood men and women
+ More knowledge
and information
through TV
Men and +Less work for +Less time in +High initial +Positive attitude
Women collecting firewood cleaning dishes and investment towards village
(Mixed house sanitation
Group) +Less work for cleaning + Less use of
-Less time for firewood +Change attitude of
collecting firewood men and women
+More knowledge
and information
through TV
Source: Field Survey, 2002. (+ indicates positive implications, - indicates negative implications)
Table 2 indicates the positive and negative hydropower and biogas plant, though they
implications of AETs for men and women. were beneficial in the long run.
The groups providing information were the
electricity and biogas users groups. The Both groups reported that there is a positive
discussion took place with womens groups implication on local culture in terms of
first and then the same discussion was changes in peoples attitudes and habits in
done with mens groups followed by mixed using toilets and in keeping high sanitation
groups of men and women. standards around the houses and the
village. There was a change in mens and
The mens and womens groups separately womens attitude towards womens mobility
showed that the workload of women has in and outside the village. The women were
been reduced in collecting firewood and not restricted from attending meetings and
cleaning dishes. However, the women find training sessions, and visiting other people
it takes a longer time to cook on biogas houses to watch television, unlike in the
stoves for big extended families, which are past.
common in rural areas. It was further
reported that women needed to do more A discussion also took place with a mixed
work collecting dung and water. In addition, group of men and women in order to find
women feel more obligated to wake up out whether the talks would vary from the
early to do additional work by electric light, individual groups. It was found that, in this
rather than waiting for sunrise. group the males dominated the discussion
though womens thoughts were also
Both mens and womens groups accepted reflected.
the fact, that there are positive implications
for resources in terms of needing less Change in Time and Workload
firewood and increasing access to The time and workloads of women were
information and news through television further analyzed using some qualitative and
and radio, although, there was only a quantitative measures, such as mean,
limited number of households (around 3 %) standard deviation and Analysis of Variance
who have television in their houses, and (ANOVA). This was done to see the
around 18 percent of households that have changes in time and workloads of women in
radio and cassettes. However, the women two areas (project and non project areas)
felt that young boys had become idle and in two different time periods (before
because of radio and television. In addition, and after having access to AETs).
both mens and womens groups explained
that they needed to make high investments
initially to get the access to the micro Table 3 presents the work burden of
women in project and non-project areas.
Unit of Scale 1 2 3
Work Burden
Amount of work Light Average Heavy
Convenience of work Easy Average Difficult
Consumption of labour Low Average High
Consumption of time Less Average More
The above table of workloads compares the more time (2.69) is spent in the non-project
womens workloads in project and non- area. The given standard deviations explain
project areas. The mean score for the that there is no high variation within the
amount of work in the project area is close mean score in both project and non-project
to two (1.80) which means that the areas. The ANOVA test was done to
workload of women is only average as measure the variance in work burdens of
compared to the non-project area, where women in the project and non-project
the workload is close to three (2.67) which areas. It shows that there is a highly
means that their work is heavy. The mean significant difference between the means of
score for convenience of work is close to the two groups, since the P value is less
one in the project area and close to three in than .0005. Overall, the work burden of
the non-project area, which suggests that women in the non-project area was higher
the women feel their work is easier after compared to the project area.
having access to AETs, while the women in
the non-project area feel their work is Table 4 presents the average time used for
difficult. Labour consumption is also close energy activities in different time periods:
to three (2.68) in the non-project area, before and after AETs.
whereas it is only average in the project
area. Similarly, in the project area, women
spend only an average amount of time
(1.78) on energy related activities while
Table 4 shows that the average time spent and afternoon snacks has been reduced
for energy related activities has reduced as from .85 hours to .59 hours. There has
compared to the past. For instance, the been a significant reduction in average
average cooking time after using biogas processing times, which used to be 4.31
stoves and Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS), hours (for hulling and grinding 30 kg. of
has been reduced from 1.08 hours to .75 grain). This has come down to 1.09 hours
hours. Similarly, cooking times for morning with micro hydro milling, which includes
travel and waiting time as well. The waiting Opportunities for Socio-Economic
time was mentioned to be very short, Enhancement
because of speedy processing unlike the AETs have provided different kinds of
traditional water mill. opportunities to men, women and also to
the children in terms of having reduced
The average time for collecting firewood workloads, exposing them to new
was calculated in a different way, because, technology, and allowing more time for
the time required for collecting firewood study. The local people also felt that they
(one bhari) was the same but it varied with have had opportunities to learn about AETs
the amount of firewood used after having and development programs and practices
access to biogas stoves and ICS. The inside and outside their village with the
above figures represent the average time awareness program facilitated by REDP.
spent per month for collecting firewood. Women spent less time and energy in
Since, only around 30 percent of managing household energy systems.
households have access to biogas stoves However, an interesting thing is that women
and ICS, there was not a big change in never seemed to have free time and were
firewood collection time. always busy in one or other activities. They
had very limited time to be involved in any
In general, there was a reduction in use of social and economic activities even after
firewood especially after use of the biogas having access to AETs. However, there
stoves. It was mentioned that women go to were in fact no real opportunities available
the forest only occasionally now and the at village level, where women could use
firewood collected from around the field their spare time and labour for their self-
near the house was sufficient after using enhancement and empowerment.
the biogas stoves. However, the women
also found they had more work in caring for The bar chart below (Figure 3) shows the
livestock such as proper feeding, collecting time availability for women for social and
dung and water. There was a considerable economic activities.
reduction in processing time after having
access to the micro hydro mill.
.
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
Hours per day Hours per day
In both project and non-project areas, the non-project areas in accessing time for
highest percentages (58% and 46% social and economic activities, because in
respectively) of respondents have two the project area although women have
hours per day for social and economic saved time for processing jobs, they were
activities. Around 24 and 30 percent of still always busy either in the house or in
respondents in the project area and the the farm.
non-project area respectively reported that
they have no time for any social and During the focus group discussion, a
economic activities. A few respondents in woman mentioned that,
the project area have 3 to 4 hours for being
involved in such activities. There was not Our work is waiting for us, who
much difference between the project and will let us go to enjoy meetings
and training. (Personal In some cases, it was only used for lighting.
communication, Dec. 2001). The use of biogas plants has reduced
womens work in collecting firewood and
Some other women mentioned that they cleaning activities, however, there were
could manage few hours, if they have some some other tasks involved in managing
opportunities in the village. these plants which remained invisible, such
as collecting more water and dung, and
Only a few women were involved in mixing them properly. These jobs were
incense-making, soap-making and sometimes shared by the male members of
vegetable farming in their spare time. There the family as well.
was potential to establish small scale
enterprises at the local level such as poultry Overall, AETs have been able to address
farming, small bakeries, or dairy products. the drudgery of rural women by enabling
These activities also required the access to the reduction of the human energy they
credit, raw materials and marketing expend in managing household energy
network. systems. However, AETs are out of the
reach of many rural women and have
At present, the AETs were not used to their covered a very limited population, since
full potential. For instance, the biogas plant they are still costly for majority of the rural
installed in a small number of households households. In addition, AETs are not
was mainly aimed for producing gas for integrated with other economic and social
cooking, while neglecting the use of slurry activities, on which women could use their
for making a good compost to use in the saved time and labour, so as to ensure their
farm for increasing agricultural production. self-enhancement and empowerment.
There were very limited extension services
to teach local people especially women to Acknowledgments
explore the full potential of AETs. The support for this paper from my
supervisors, Dr. Barbara Nowak and Dr.
Womens participation in AETs seemed to Regina Scheyvens, is gratefully
be more in terms of community mobilisation acknowledged.
and saving and credit activities, than in real
planning and development of AETs. The
women also participated by providing
labour during construction of canals. Even Notes
though women were well represented in 1
REDP is a project supported from UNDP
rural energy boards, their involvement in to implement the alternative energy
the decision-making process was low. technologies in different parts of Nepal)
Summary and Conclusions
Women felt AETs like electricity and micro
hydro mills are very convenient. In general, References
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