Women’s participation in development is increased by equal pay
In the isolated village of Limi in Humla, the number of women involved in development activities has been rising. After equal pay for equal work was introduced, there was a good change. According to Yangjin, there are currently more women actively participating in community labor and public works projects. According to Tamang has been employed by the PM Employment Program to work on the Ghodato road building project, she and a number of other women are now working side by side with males. She claimed that because they were paid less than males for performing the same work, women had historically shunned such jobs. Women have been more interested in and involved in these projects since equal pay was implemented. In the past, even for the same work, women would only be paid half as much as males.
According to Paljor Tamang, the local society came to the decision to give men and women equal wages. Women’s participation in public works has notably grown as a result. Women are increasingly performing personal labor activities as well, thus this beneficial trend is not just seen in public construction projects. According to Tamang, the concept of equality and justice has been maintained by local laws governing Limi locals as well as by the government’s legal requirements for equal compensation. The district pay rate in Humla states that unskilled laborers make Rs. 1,100 per day. As a result, men and women are now equally represented in development initiatives.
