Women in Bhutan

Although officially the government of Bhutan has encouraged greater participation by the women in Bhutan in political and administrative life, male members of the traditional aristocracy dominate the social system. Economic development has increased opportunities for women to participate in fields such as medicine, both as physicians and nurses; teaching; and administration. By 1989 nearly 10 percent of government employees were women, and the top civil service examination graduate in 1989 was a woman. During their government careers, women civil servants were allowed three months maternity leave with full pay for three deliveries and leave without pay for any additional deliveries. Reflecting the dominance of males in society, girls were outnumbered three to two in primary and secondary-level schools.However, with so many pro-women organizations on the rise including CSO, MBO etc. women have been seen to be contributing towards livelihoods of individual families, for instance SABAH-Bhutan (www.sabahbt.org) tries to empower women in earning through weaving, tailoring food processing and other economic activities, thereby making women participate in earning for the family(s).