Gender and Health 50/50 Nepal

Gender and Health 50/50 Nepal: Catalysing change for gender equality and health equity

Project Summary

The inaugural Gender and Health 50/50 Nepal Report reviews the gender- and equity-related policies and practices of national and global organizations active in gender and health currently operating in Nepal.

The report assesses the extent to which health organizations in Nepal take action to promote gender equality across four domains: commitment; evidence-informed policy content; equitable outcomes in power; and gender-responsive programming.

The study reviewed a sample of 77 organizations working in gender and health, including 47 global and 30 national organizations. An additional analysis was also conducted for two ministries and three government departments/divisions.

The study shows that organizations active in health policy and programming in Nepal are falling short on gender equality. Despite Nepal’s Constitution and several other pieces of recent legislation that aim to protect the rights of women, the study of national organizations and global organizations operating in Nepal reveals low levels of transparency and availability of policies and practices that support gender equality.

The findings demonstrate that there is significant room for improvement across the four domains of gender equality assessed. Less than half (13/30) of national NGOs have publicly committed to gender equality and just three national NGOs sampled for the study include transgender and non-binary people in their commitments. Making a public commitment to gender equality is the starting point for addressing gender inequities in the workplace and in health outcomes.

Workplace policies for gender equality, diversity and inclusion promote and support better workplaces while also facilitating career progression for women and other underrepresented groups. Of the 47 global organizations reviewed, the study found three workplace gender equality policies and two diversity and inclusion policies specific to their operations in Nepal (as opposed to global policies). More than half of maternity policies reviewed provide fewer weeks of paid leave than what women are entitled to by law as laid out in the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act 2018 – demanding urgent attention to ensure that workplace policies are up-to-date.

Only two-fifths (11/29) of the country offices of global organizations were led by Nepalese nationals, suggesting a lack of support for their career progression within global organizations.

Gender-transformative programming is central to addressing inequities in health outcomes however, nearly one in three (9/30) Nepal NGOs have gender-blind programs. This is in comparison to just 4% (2/47) of the Nepal-based programs of the global organizations that were found to be gender-blind.

The report aims to generate evidence, policy recommendations and action on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the health sector in Nepal.

Gender and Health 50/50 Nepal is a joint initiative between Global Health 50/50 and the Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA).