Role of Women in Modern Bhutanese Society

Bhutan is a country in South Asia in the Himalayas. The country is guided by the philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) for its development activities, and believes that progress must create an enabling environment for the happiness and well-being of its people. Equity and sustainability of development activities and outcomes hold an important place in the policies and initiatives of the country. The government continued to maintain a gender-neutral position in the formulation and implementation of its plans, policies and programs. Equally, social protection laws for women and children have received attention during the last decade and aligning to GNH and global development paradigm of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Comparatively, Bhutanese women enjoy better status and legal rights to women in the South Asia region. Inspite of their relative high status, Bhutanese women face indirect and subtle forms of bias and socio-cultural perceptions on their role and relations which continue to impede progress in gender equity.