Gender Equality in Bhutan

Bhutan
Flag of Bhutan
Population (in Mil.)	0.7
Sex Ratio (m/f)	1,1
Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)	1.06
Fertility Rate	2.68
Income Ratio (f/m)	0.39
Literacy Ratio (f/m)	n/a
Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)	n/a
Women in Parliament (in %)	9,3
SIGI Rank	64
More information on variables
Did you know that Bhutan ranks number 64 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Bhutan" at genderindex.org:

Women in Bhutan enjoy a relatively great degree of freedom and their situation is largely influenced by the country’s Buddhist traditions and values, where men and women are seen as equals. Because of this general view of equality, however, there are no specific laws against the discrimination against women. Women are represented in most spheres of society but (with the exception of the agricultural sector) still to a lesser extent than men. Their opportunities and economic participation outside the household vary between communities and ethnic groups following local – sometimes discriminatory – customs and traditions. Women belonging to Bhutan’s Hindu minority are subject to different norms and religious practices.

Family Code

The legal age of marriage used to be 16 years for girls and 18 years for boys, but following the Marriage Amendment Act of 1996 the legal age is now 18 years for both sexes. Nevertheless, boys and girls do engage in common-law marriages as early as at the age of 15 years, but no marriage certificates from the Court of Law – needed for any marriage to be recognized – are issued in these cases.

Marriages based upon mutual consent and affection may be the preferred norm but arranged and early marriages still occur, particularly in rural areas. A married girl usually stays in her parental home and her husband comes to live with her. This practice, which contradicts with the situation in many other developing countries, can to some extent be seen as an incentive for parents to marry their daughters young as this will bring an additional worker to their household. An estimated 27 percent of Bhutanese girls between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married, divorced or widowed. Given that birth certificates were rare in Bhutan up until very recently, age specific data should be interpreted with care.

The practice of polygamy is permissible by law but dependent on consent of the first spouse. The practice is accepted in the South, some parts of Western and central Bhutan as well as among some nomadic communities in the North. The wives of one man tend to be sisters and similarly, the husbands of one woman are often brothers. Data on the prevalence of these practices are currently not available.

With regards to parental authority, the law grants custody of children under the age of 9 years to the mother in the event of divorce. The father is obliged to pay child support until the child reaches the age of 18.

Bhutanese law does not differentiate between men and women with regards to inheritance and the law provides for equal rights of inheritance for all children, regardless of sex and age. In fact, following matrilineal family systems mainly in Western and central Bhutan, land is usually inherited through the mother. Patrilineal inheritance norms dominate in the South.

Physical Integrity

Female genital mutilation is not a general practice in Bhutan. There are no specific laws related to violence against women: rather, these crimes are covered by general judicial provisions. Domestic violence, including marital rape, occurs but women do not often report these incidences. Further, the law only recognizes physical battery as marital violence while psychological and sexual abuses are excluded. One particularly vulnerable group is Bhutanese women in Nepali refugee camps. Women in the South, in turn, are exposed to sexual assault and violence following cross-border raids.

With regards to missing women, Hudson et al (2005) calls Bhutan ‘a country of concern’. Klasen et al, on the other hand, see no incidence of this phenomenon in Bhutan.

Civil Liberties

Women’s freedom of movement is generally not restricted. Their responsibilities as a mother, wife and homemaker, however, make them less likely to than men to work or travel far from the family residence. This is true particularly in Southern Bhutan. Rural women may also face constraints and it is advised that they have a male companion if they are to move outside of their local community.

Bhutanese citizens, both men and women, are subject to a national dress code. When in public, women are expected to wear the traditional kira which they fold to create an ankle-length dress. Men, in turn, wear a heavy knee-length dress called gho. Hence, while there are limitations on the freedom of dress, men and women are equally affected.

Ownership Rights

A majority of Bhutanese women work in the agricultural sector. Matrilineal inheritance systems grant women access to and ownership of land. An estimated 60 percent of rural women have land registered in their name.

Bank loans and other forms of credit are available to women. Reviews of traditional credit patterns, however, show that men dominate in financial decision-making. Men and women have the same legal rights to acquire and own property.

Sources

• CEDAW (2003), Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, combined initial, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth periodic report, Bhutan, CEDAW/C/BTN/1-6.
• Hudson, V. and A. Den Boer, Missing Women and Bare Branches: Gender Balance and Conflict, ECSP Report, Issue 11, 2005.
• Klasen, K. and C. Wink (2003), “Missing Women”: Revisiting the Debate, Feminist Economics 1/2003, Volume 9, Issue 2-3.
• OECD (2006), The Gender, Institutions and Development Database, www.oecd.org/dev/gender/gid.
• Royal Government of Bhutan (2005), Millennium Development Goals Progress Report, report prepared by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Planning.
• UNESCO Bangkok, Bhutan Country Profile, country specific ARSH information (chapter 5), www.unescobkk.org.