Bhutan

Basic Data

Population: 741 thousands
Life expectancy: 67.6
GNI per capita(Constant 2005 PPP): 5246
HDI index rank: 140
Source: UNDP (2012)

Profile

Bhutan is a country located in South Asia lie between China and India. This small country isolated itself for few decades just opened to modernization in political, economy and social sectors. In politicial sector, it is the youngest democratic country in the world as transit from absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy in 2008. Economically, it focus on boosting tourism and hydroelectric-industry. Although Bhutan is relatively backward and poor than other countries in SE Asia, it worked hard on striking for gender equality in early development stage.

The information in this section has been taken from the Country Report of Bhutan written by Siu Uen Ting in 4th Oct 2013.

Figure 1: Bhutan's GII for 2012 relative to selected countries and groups (Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2013)

Figure 2: Labour Force partcipation rate, employed and unemployed, 2010 (Source: Labour Force Survey 2010, MoLHR)

According to the UNDP Human Development Report 2013, Bhutan's GII index is 0.464 ranked 92 among 148 countries in 2012. This shows that Bhutan's equality is higher in South Asia as South Asia's GII value is 0.568. There are 63.8% female participate in labour force comparing to the 73.6% male.

However, refer to the Figure 2, Bhutanese women enjoyed high equality in accessing labour market as there are only 1.3% difference in employment rate between man and women. Which highly related to the full employment target set by the Royal Bhutan government in the 11th five-year plan.

Reasons of gender gap

The Royal government had tried to found out the reasons behind the gender gap few years ago by the 'Gender Assessment of Ministry of Economic Affairs'. They sumed up few reasons to gender gap:

Lower Education and qualification among women

Figure 7: Literacy Rate 2005 (Source: Gender Assessment of Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2008

Social and Cultural Attitude

As Bhutan is a backward and close country in the last century, education system is not well developed. There are hugh gap in literacy rate between the two genders, only 38.7% adults are literate while 65% male are educated (Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2008 ). There are 60.3% female are illiterate (Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2008 ).To counter gender gap due to lacking education, the Royal Bhutan government encourage female to go to school. Recently the ratio of female to male in tertiary education is 60% and the government targeted to increase the ratio to 100% in 2018(Bhutan, Guidelines for Preparation of the Eleventh Five Year plan (2013-2018), 2012, p.31) to ended inequality by empowering youth.

Although Bhutan is opening itself to the international society step by step, long-practiced patriarchy culture still deep-rooted in Bhutan society. Women is less confident than men to start their career. They believe that women have the responsibility to take care elderly, husband and children at home. They also have less ambition than male, when it come to influential decision, they tends to let male to make a decision (Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2008 ).

Women in Bhutan adapted the deep-rooted gender stereotype which hindered their own development in labour market. Therefore, we cannot see any female becoming the role model to challenge the male dominate society(Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2008 ).

The Gender gap in economic activity

Figure 3: Employees, agriculture, female (% of female employment) (Source: World Bank, 2013)

Figure 4:Employees, industry, female (% of female employment) (Source: World Bank, 2013)

Figure 5: Employees, service, female (% of female employment) (Source: World Bank, 2013)

Generally, most female in Bhutan contributed on agriculture sector, in 2011 there are 67.8% female participated in primary industry (The World Bank, 2013). Secondly, there are 23.7% female work in service sector(The World Bank, 2013). Only 8.5% female work in industrial sector(The World Bank, 2013).

However, an interesting phenomenon can be found within the female's participation rate in different economic sector .

The graphs cited from World Bank told us that even through women are able to work in service sector, which usually offer better wages and working condition, their status in labour market is not stable. For example, in 2011, when female worked in service sector decrease(Figure 5), more female workers participate in primary and secondary production(Figure 3-4).The fluctuation shows even though women it is easier for women to access labour market, female's status in tertiary sector is unsecure. When they loss their job, they can only work in either agriculture or industrial sectors, the mobility of women in labour market is high. Their means of livelihood are not secure.

Corresponding disparity in employment wages

Figure 6: Gender Gap Subindexes (Source: The Global Gender Gap Report 2013)

Besides the instability of women's status in labour market, women also faced inequality in salary distribution. Based on 'The Global Gender Gap Report 2013'(Figure 6), women's estimated earned income is only $ 5141, far lower than the $ 8042 that male can earned in average (World Economic Forum , 2013). This may highly related to the education opportunity of female.

Relations Between Gender Equality and Bhutan Economy

Figure 7: The World Fact Book - Bhutan (Source: Central Intelligence Agency )

Although many female are employed in labour market, they do not give much contribution to the countries' GDP. Most female are participating in agriculture sector and least women participate in industrial sector, while the industry contain the largest composition among all of the GDP sectors in 2011(Figure 7) (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013).

The reason behind this situation is highly related to the economic structure of Bhutan. the recent economic growrh in Bhutan is not relied on human power, but the natural gift, hydroelectricity power.

In 2010, hydro-electricity power contributed 45% of Bhutan's national revenue and 19% of its GDP. In Bhutan, the Royal government seek hydro-electricity power as a product, they sell it to its neighbouring country India to make revenue as the developing country has high demand on electricity. On the other hand, 91% of its people still use biomass (wood) as primary fuel resources.

Figure 8: GDP (current US$) (Source: Trading Economics, 2013)

Reference

Bhutan, R. G. (2012). Guidelines for Preparation of the Eleventh Five Year plan (2013-2018). Royal Government of Bhutan: Gross National Happiness Commission.

Central Intelligence Agency. (2013). Bhutan. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from The World Fact Book:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bt.html

English, A. J. (Director). (2008). Bhutan hopes to cash in on hydro-electric power [Motion Picture].

Ministry of Economic Affairs. (2008 ). Gender Assessment of Ministry of Economic Affairs. Royal Government of Bhutan .

The World Bank . (2013). Employees, industry, female (% of female employment) . Retrieved November 18, 2013, from The World Bank : http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.IND.EMPL.FE.ZS/countries/BT?display=graph

The World Bank . (2013). Employees, services, female (% of female employment) . Retrieved November 18, 2013, from The World Bank : http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.FE.ZS/countries/BT?display=graph

The World Bank . (2013 ). GDP (current US$) . Retrieved November 17, 2013, from The World Bank : http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD/countries/BT?display=graph

The World Bank. (2013). Employees, agriculture, female (% of female employment). Retrieved November 19, 2013, from The World Bank: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.FE.ZS/countries/BT?display=graph

UNDP. (2011). Bhutan National Human Development Report 2011. Bhutan: Gross National Happiness Commission.

World Economic Forum . (2013). The Global Gender Gap Report 2013. Geneva: World Economic Forum .

Gender Inequality and

Economic Growth