The respondents were asked about their decision-making position and status in community affairs. Community affairs include all community-level functions and matters that are usually lead and decided by the commune councilors, village chiefs and other stakeholders. The women make decision on only 3% of community affairs compared to 42% of affairs made by only men. Women are 14 times disadvantaged then men in terms of sole decision-making in community affairs. Women’s disadvantaged position in community affairs is possibly links to their under representation in community-level decision-making bodies such as commune councilors, village chiefs etc. However, men and women jointly decide 55% of community affairs and matters. In case of joint decision-making, women play very petty roles, which are broadly reproductive in nature. For example, they arrange meeting including gathering people, preparing snacks and other entertainments and accounting and registration related jobs. The reveals the nature of work that women jointly do in the community such as attend meeting on construction of road, school, bridge, hospital etc. in the community, financial contribution, manage pig banks, gather people in meeting, cook meal and prepare snacks for meeting participants.
Although women participate in the meeting on construction of major physical work in the village and community, their role in the meeting is still secondary and they do not play leading role in the meeting. The underlying causes of women’s poor role in decision-making in community affairs and matters are as follows:
- Multiple roles and too much busy to take part actively in community activities
- They are not invited to participate in community activities from the beginning.
- Lack of confidence, not brave and trust on their potentials in terms of decision-making.
- Lack of skills, experience and knowledge to provide good decision in the meeting.
- Illiteracy.
- Afraid of being blamed when share ideas.
- Discouragement and undermining women’s opinion in meeting.
- Lack of time to attend in meeting and pre-meeting activities.
- Prejudice among the community people, particularly among the men that women are sub-ordinate and low in capacity.
- Restricted mobility. Women cannot move to any place in any time as such men do.
The aforementioned factors arrest women’s potential participation and role in decision-making in community affairs and matters. Traditional gender roles, relations and values attached to women give way to these factors function.
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