Bhutan

International Women's Day 2011

Statement by Claire Van der Vaeren

Resident Coordinator, UN system in Bhutan

Rangjung Higher Secondary School, Trashigang

Your Excellency, Lyonpo Thakur Singh Powdyel, NCWC Chairperson, Minister of Education,

Honourable Lam Neten,

Dasho Dzongdag,

Dzongkhag officials,

Dashos,

Development Partners, UN agency colleagues,

Teachers and Students,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am very pleased to be here today representing the UN Agencies in Bhutan to commemorate the centenary International Women's Day, jointly organized by the Ministry of Education, the Gross National Happiness Commission, the National Commission for Women and Children, the Trashigang Dzongkhag, RENEW volunteers in Trashigang and the UN System in Bhutan.

Today, the 8th March, is being celebrated world wide as International Women's Day to mark 100 years of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. Today is a day to show respect to all women in the world and to remember the sacrifices made by them at times of need. It is a day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of past, present and future women.

In the words of the UN Secretary General "only through women's full and equal participation in all areas of public and private life can we hope to achieve the sustainable peaceful and just society promised in the UN Charter."

The theme for this year's International Women's Day is 'Equal access to education and training: Pathway to decent work for women' and I will concentrate my remarks on these aspects.

The World's Women 2010 report (published by the UN) showed that at the global level, the rate of girls of primary school-aged enrolled in school increased from 79 per cent to 86 per cent between 1999 and 2007, and women's participation in the labour market remained steady in the two decades from 1990 to 2010 [at 52%].

Despite the progress, many women around the world continue to suffer from gender inequalities. Advances in education for girls and women have not necessarily resulted in greater economic opportunities for them. According to the same report, there are 774 million adult illiterates worldwide and of these, two out of three are women. This proportion has not changed in the past 20 years and is true across most regions. Of the 72 million children of primary school age that are not attending school, over 39 million (or 54 per cent) are girls. Women are significantly underrepresented in tertiary education, and also in the fields of science and engineering. Maternal deaths and disabilities continue to be high due to lack of accessibility to proper health care services and because of socio-cultural factors.

The theme of our celebration today underlines the importance of access to education and training as a pathway to access decent work. In many countries, women face occupational segregation and are paid less than men for the same work, or tend to be offered jobs at the lower end of the salary scale. In developing countries, women represent over 60% of all unpaid family workers, typically with no job security and benefits.

Let us now turn to the situation in Bhutan.  Bhutan has made rapid progress in reaching gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolment. According to the annual education statistics 2010, the number of girls and boys enrolled in primary school is equal, and it is almost equal in secondary school. More women are enrolled in non- formal education than men[1]. And female enrolment in vocational institutes has increased though it remains relatively low at 32.5%[2]. The gap in the rate of labor force participation between men and women is decreasing[3]. The Labour and Employment Act, 2007, provides for equal pay for work of equal value. More and more women are being employed in otherwise male dominated fields and there has been a noticeable increase in women's employment as technicians and in associated professions (from 0.86 % in 2009 to 5.4% in 2010, Labor Force Survey).

Life expectancy rates are similar for both men (66 years) and women (66.2 years) overall and maternal death rate has been reduced significantly in the last two decades.[4]

While remarkable progress has been achieved, challenges remain.  Although Bhutan has a high level of gender equality compared to countries in the rest of South Asia, the first gender study also showed subtle forms of discrimination, specifically in the fields of higher education, employment and public decision making. The low representation of women in tertiary education and vocational institutes combined with lower levels of female adult literacy, particularly in rural areas, is a concern. Indeed, these have had a direct impact on the lower for women as compared to men, who have skills that enable them to find paid employment.  It also has direct impact on the low representation of women in the civil service (31%) and in decision-making positions, including parliament (13.8%). The rate of female unemployment has been rising, while the rate of male unemployment is lower and has remained constant[5].  44.4% of employed women are unpaid family workers in agriculture, which makes women more vulnerable in terms of economic empowerment and old age security.  

A study on "Girls' Participation in Education at Higher Secondary Level in Bhutan" conducted by MoE in 2009, points to the need to step up efforts on creating awareness and counseling services including adolescent reproductive and sexual health in schools; and creating an enabling environment in schools for girls with respect to addressing their special needs.

It is not only the formal education which can bring about changes in the lives of women. Non-formal education and vocational training have also provided opportunities for Bhutanese women to become more skilful and knowledgeable, and to contribute to the development of their community. We can also recall how, in 2008, 30 Bhutanese women from remote parts of the country with little or no education travelled to India to be trained as the first batch of barefoot solar engineers and they have been successful in providing solar lighting to about 500 families in their communities. The Royal Government of Bhutan under the initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources recently launched a flexible tailoring training program, with 31 women of all ages out of 36 participants. This will not only create self-employment opportunities for these women, but as they develop their business and employ others, it will create income generation opportunities for others.  Being educated in traditional knowledge and craft is also very relevant; weaving, for example, has become a major source of income for families in many households.

Non-formal education has not only provided women  access  to literacy, life skills and livelihood skills but it has also created a scope for more female instructors to be employed (more than 50% of instructors are female).  Some of the women who have attended non formal education programmes are now going to contest in the local elections.

Your Excellency, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

The UN system in Bhutan supports the efforts of the Royal Government to achieve sustainable development, particularly as reflected in the Millennium Development Goals. Today, we draw attention particularly to Goal number 3: "Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women". The UN believes that a country cannot achieve sustainable development and social justice without gender equality; men and women equally must be able to make choices about their lives to paraphrase (Ms. Bachelet) new Leader of UN Women, and have equal opportunities.  Discrimination undermines the quality of democracy, the strength of the economy, the health of society and the sustainability of peace, because we fail to make the most of half the world's potential.

It has been proven across the globe that the best strategy to prevent girls from entering into indecent work is to keep girls in school and ensure their completion of education up to higher secondary level. The UN system in Bhutan is supporting the Royal Government to ensure that girls are not dropping out and are completing their basic education with quality learning outcomes. However, concerted efforts are needed to improve the transition rate of girls from secondary to higher secondary and tertiary levels.

Women and girls cannot feel empowered if they are threatened in their physical integrity. Recognising that socio-cultural perceptions influence the nonparticipation of women in public decision-making and economic activities outside the household, there is an urgent need to build awareness on existing support systems and opportunities for women who find themselves in vulnerable situations. NCWC and RENEW continue to play a key role, particularly in curbing violence against women and children, and in addressing this issue that stands in the way of national progress.

Your Excellency,

Today, as we commemorate the 100^th anniversary of International Women's Day, may I take this opportunity to pay a sincere tribute to Her Majesty, the Queen Mother, Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, for her dedication to bettering the lives of women and the marginalized.   I would also like to congratulate, the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Civil Society Organizations, for their sustained efforts in empowering the women and girls of Bhutan.

Thank you and Tashi Delek

[1] 69.3% and 30.7% respectively

[2] From 28.6% in 2005 to 32.5% in 2010 [+3.9]

[3] 63.9% female and 73.6% male

[4] From 770 per 100,000 in 1990 to 255 per 100,000 live births in 2005

[5] Labour Force Survey, 2009 shows rise in the rate of female unemployment, from 3.8% in 2006 to 5.4% in 2009, while male unemployment has remained constant at 2.6% in those periods.