Women in Bhutan

Economic development in the country of Bhutan has increased opportunities for women to participate in fields such as medicine (both as physicians and nurses), teaching, and administration. Women were providing more labor than men in all sectors of the economy. Less than 4 percent of the total female work force was unemployed, compared with nearly 10 percent of men who had no occupation. In particular, nearly 10 percent of government employees were women by 1989. During their government careers, women civil servants were allowed three months of maternity leave with full pay for three deliveries and leave without pay for any additional deliveries.

Although women elected to office remained relatively few (14% before local elections according to the UNHCR), more than half of voters in initial local government elections were women. This has raised the question of whether women would benefit from quotas in public service.

In 1981, the government founded the National Women's Association of Bhutan to improve the socioeconomic status of women, particularly those in rural areas.

Women in Bhutan
Woman in Bhutan, 2011[clarification needed]
General Statistics
Maternal mortality (per 100,000)180 (2010)
Women in parliament13.9% (2012)
Women over 25 with secondary education34.0% (2010)
Women in labour force65.8% (2011)
Gender Inequality Index[1]
Value0.415 (2021)
Rank98th out of 191
Global Gender Gap Index[2]
Value0.637 (2022)
Rank126th out of 146
  1. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORTS. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Global Gender Gap Report 2022" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 1 March 2023.