There is an ongoing inequality in the wages of women daily wage workers in the district. Kamala Buda Magar, 49, of Rolpa Sunchari Rural Municipality, started working eight years ago. Her wage is not sufficient to fulfill her basic needs.
It is hard for her and her family to survive by carrying stones, sand, and gravel for house construction in Libang. She complains that it is difficult for workers like her to survive due to discrimination in wages despite working as much as male workers.
Although the Labour Act guarantees ‘equal work and equal pay’, the discrimination continues due to the lack of practical implementation of the act.
Pankali Gharti, Madi Rural Municipality Talabang is going through the same problem. She also shares an experience of being discriminated against regarding the wage despite working as much as males.
The government has been conducting programs to improve the living standard of women in rural areas.
Most of these women in the district are compelled to do household duties in addition to their daily wage labor. Despite women’s engagement in income-earning work, there has been no change in the standard of living of women in rural areas.
Labor Act 2074, Section 6, states that an employer cannot discriminate against any worker based on religion, gender, caste, language, or ideological belief. Although Section 7 justifies no discrimination in wages for equal work, it has not been implemented in practice.
According to Tirtha Acharya, Women’s Human Rights Defender Network, the government is prioritizing and investing in physical infrastructure over women’s empowerment.