Nepal

Despite its small size, Nepal contains an impressive diversity of ethnic and caste groups: more than 100 groups and 90 languages are represented. Prior to 2008, Nepal was the world's only Hindu kingdom. Eighty-one percent of the population is Hindu, 11 percent is Buddhist, and 4 percent is Muslim. In 2008, the monarchy was overthrown and the country became the Republic of Nepal.

One of the biggest challenges to development in Nepal is the creation and maintenance of adequate physical infrastructure to support healthcare and education in rural, remote areas. The violence and destruction perpetrated by an insurgent group with general communist aims called Maowadi, or Maoists, along with the Security Forces seeking to eliminate them, was a major impediment to improving country indicators between 1995 and 2006. However, a more enduring challenge is the range of Himalayan mountains that stretch across the northern two-thirds of the country. Nepal is home to some of the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest.

Women in Nepal harvesting lemongrass for use in perfume and cosmetics, helping them earn an income in their rural town.

The quality of life for Nepali women has improved on a few fronts. In 2002, a bill was passed allowing daughters to inherit property from their parents. Previously only an unmarried daughter over 35 years of age had the right to inherit ancestral property. Life expectancy at birth for women has surpassed that of men, at 64 and 63 respectively. While advances have been made in terms of the percentage of girls attending primary school, the percentage of adult women who attended secondary or higher education was 13 in 2001 and 21 in 2006. The literacy rate for adult [Page 1006]females is 47 percent and 73 percent for adult males. Trafficking of women and girls into the sex trade remains a rampant problem. Maternal mortality rates remain high; in response the government is offering free maternal health services as of January 2009.

These statistics reflect the overall poverty of the country, the fact that approximately 80 percent of the people of Nepal live in rural areas, and the negative effects of being involved in an armed conflict for a decade. However, they have not precluded Nepali women from achieving international recognition as leaders in literature, journalism, art, politics, law, medicine, and humanitarian work. And the constitution, still under construction as of 2010, has the potential to bring about a more equitable society.

When the Constituent Assembly formed in 2008, women filled one-third of the seats. Also in 2008, the Supreme Court awarded rights and protection to Nepal's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and inter-sex population. Many challenges lie ahead as Nepalis grapple with the difficulties of forming a stable government and a new constitution.