Social Studies and Life Skills · Chapter 7
Study notes aligned to the official NEB syllabus.
Nepali society is one of the most diverse in the world for its size. Within a small territory it holds many languages and castes. It holds many ethnic groups (jaatjaati) and religions. It holds many geographical communities. This unit studies how people place themselves within that diversity. It studies how social groups and classes change over time. It studies how a fair and inclusive society can be built. Social identity means the sense of who a person is. This sense comes from belonging to groups. The groups may be a caste, an ethnic community (janajati), a gender, a religion, a language community, or a region. Diversity means that many such different groups live together. The main concern of this unit is simple. How can diversity become a source of strength and equality instead of a source of discrimination?
A social class is a group of people who share a similar economic position. They have a similar level of income and wealth. They have a similar occupation and access to resources. Classes are usually described as upper, middle, and lower (or working) class. Caste in the past was treated as fixed by birth. Class is different. A person's class position can change. A person born poor may become prosperous through education, business, or migration. A wealthy family may also decline. This ability to move between classes is called social mobility.
Social transformation means a deep and lasting change in a society. The change reaches its structure, its relationships, its values, and its institutions. It is broader than a single reform. Powerful forces have driven social transformation in Nepal over the past decades. One is the spread of education. Another is foreign employment and the remittances it brings. Others are urbanization, democracy, and the political movements that expanded rights. The growth of media and the internet is another. Legal changes that abolished old hierarchies are another. Take an example. The law abolished caste based untouchability and made it a crime. Schooling also spread widely. Together these changes let many families from historically marginalized communities enter new occupations and public positions. These roles were once closed to them. Remittance income has created a new rural middle class in many districts. This has changed housing, consumption, and the hopes parents hold for their children. Here class formation and social transformation are happening together. Social transformation is rarely smooth. It brings new opportunities. It also brings new tensions. One tension is the gap between those who benefit from remittances or education and those who do not.
Gender refers to the roles, behaviours, and expectations that a society assigns to people. Society assigns these based on whether it regards a person as a woman, a man, or another gender identity. Gender is different from sex. Sex refers to biological characteristics. Gender roles are made by society. So society can also change them.
Gender issues are the problems and inequalities that come from these roles. Several gender issues are common in Nepal. Women and girls often have unequal access to education and property. They carry the heavier burden of unpaid household and care work. Early marriage (bal bibaha) is a problem. So are gender based violence and domestic violence. Son preference is another. Women have limited participation in decision making. Sexual and gender minorities face discrimination. Some harmful traditional practices also continue. One is chhaupadi. This is the practice of isolating women during menstruation in parts of the far and mid western hills. It is a clear gender issue rooted in belief and custom. The practice has been outlawed. Yet it continues in some communities. This shows that law alone does not end deeply held practices. Nepal has made important legal advances. It recognizes a third gender category on official documents. The Constitution guarantees equality and rights against gender based violence. But a gap often remains between the law on paper and daily practice.
Gender inclusivity means that people of all genders can take part fully and equally in society. They have equal rights, opportunities, respect, and representation. No one is excluded or disadvantaged because of their gender. It is more than simply treating everyone the same. It also includes special measures to overcome past and present disadvantages. This is why inclusivity is often paired with the idea of equity.
Nepal has promoted gender inclusivity through constitutional and legal measures. The Constitution guarantees the right to equality. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. It provides for the proportional inclusion of women in state bodies. One well known example is a rule about the legislatures. A certain minimum proportion of members of the federal and provincial legislatures must be women. This is achieved through the proportional representation election system. There are also rules for key posts. Among the President and Vice President there must be gender balance. The same applies to key posts in local government. For example, if the mayor or chairperson of a local unit is a man, the deputy should be a woman. Reserved seats for women in local councils have had a big effect. They have brought large numbers of women into elected office for the first time. Many of them are from Dalit communities. Inclusivity also means designing spaces so girls and women can use them safely. This covers schools, workplaces, and public spaces. For example, schools can provide separate toilets and menstrual facilities. This helps girls stay in school instead of dropping out.
Disability refers to a long term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory condition. This condition meets various barriers in society. Together they may stop a person from taking part fully and equally in society. The modern view is called the social model of disability. It holds that people are disabled not only by their condition. They are also disabled by barriers that society creates. These barriers include buildings without ramps. They include information not provided in accessible formats. They include negative attitudes.
Inclusion means removing these barriers. Then persons with disabilities (apangata bhaeka byakti) can take part fully. They can take part in education, work, and public life. Nepal has taken legal steps. The Constitution lists persons with disabilities among the groups with the right to social justice. It gives them the right to proportional participation. The Act Relating to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities classifies disabilities. It provides for identity cards, accessibility, and services. There are also examples of inclusion in practice. New public buildings add ramps and accessible toilets. Some news broadcasts use sign language interpretation. There are scholarships and reserved opportunities for students with disabilities. Inclusive education is an important goal. In it, children with disabilities study in regular schools with proper support. They are not separated into other schools. Still, many schools lack trained teachers and accessible facilities.
Religious identity is the sense of belonging a person draws from their religion or faith community. Examples are Hindu, Buddhist, Islam (Muslim), Kirat, and Christian, among others. Nepal is home to many religions that live side by side. They often share festivals and sacred sites. For example, Buddhists and Hindus both revere many of the same temples and stupas. The Constitution of Nepal declares the country a secular state. Here secularism is defined to include protection of the religion and culture handed down from ancient times. It also includes religious and cultural freedom. The Constitution guarantees every person the right to profess and practise their own religion. It prohibits conversion that disturbs others.
Regional identity is the sense of belonging that comes from a person's place or region. The region may be the mountains (himal), the hills (pahad), or the plains (tarai or madhes). It may also be a particular district or linguistic region. Regional identity can be a positive source of pride and culture. But it can also become a source of grievance. This happens when people of a region feel politically or economically excluded. Consider the movements for identity and rights in the Madhes. Consider the long standing concern that remote mountain districts receive fewer services. Both show how regional identity meets questions of fairness. Federalism created seven provinces. This was partly an attempt to bring government closer to diverse regions. It also aimed to give regional communities a greater share in governance.
An equitable society is one where all people enjoy fair access to resources, opportunities, rights, and dignity. This holds regardless of caste, ethnicity, gender, religion, region, class, or disability. In such a society, historical disadvantages are actively corrected. Equity is different from simple equality. Equality means giving everyone the same thing. Equity means giving people what they need to reach a fair outcome. This may mean giving more support to those who start from a disadvantaged position. Here is a common illustration. Giving every student the same textbook is equality. Giving extra support, scholarships, or accessible materials to students who face barriers is equity.
Nepal has chosen equity as a constitutional goal. The Constitution commits the state to building an egalitarian society. This is based on the principles of proportional inclusion and participation. It provides special rights and reservations for marginalized groups. These groups include women, Dalits, indigenous nationalities (adivasi janajati), Madhesis, Tharus, Muslims, and persons with disabilities. The support covers education, employment, and representation. Positive discrimination or affirmative action (samanupatik samaveshi) is the main tool used. It includes reserved seats and quotas in the civil service and in elected bodies. Building such a society also needs more than law. It needs changing attitudes. It needs ending discrimination in daily life. It needs development that reaches the poorest and most remote communities, not only the already advantaged.