Meet Tila Puri, Kamala Budamagar, and Sushma Magar, female construction workers engaged in the upgradation of the Nagdhunga-Naubise-Mugling (NNM) road corridor, a crucial connectivity and trade route within Nepal and with its neighboring countries.
As masons, they break stones, mix mortar, and stack concrete along dusty bends of the highway. They have worked in the construction sector for over a decade, migrating across various sites with their families whenever opportunities arise.
“In the Nagdhunga-Naubise-Mugling site, we receive equal pay,” says Sushma. “We have seen differing pay for men and women in other worksites. Maybe that is why there are fewer women in this sector.”
Despite equal pay provisions that include skill development and gender-sensitive safety and sanitary needs, women make up less than five percent of the total construction workers in three contracts of the NNM road project site. Most women workers function as masons supporting unskilled laborers or serve as cooks in labor camps while some manage traffic flow at construction sites.
According to Nepal’s Labour Force Survey 2017-18, female labor force participation rate is only 26.3 percent. In the construction sector specifically, women's participation stands at about 11 percent. Most women are engaged in informal work unprotected by legal or regulatory frameworks.
The lack of women’s participation in road construction can be attributed to perceived gender norms and limited access to formal employment opportunities within the sector. Road work often involves driving heavy equipment like tipper trucks, rollers, graders, excavators; operating crushers; asphalt plants; lifting heavy loads; and using more machinery—tasks traditionally viewed as male-dominated roles.
Additionally, frequent travel to various worksites or staying in labor camps can be challenging for women with care duties. Societal judgments regarding suitable labor for women further discourage their participation.
Informality in employment prevents many women from accessing equal pay opportunities and safe working conditions while denying them social protection services. Women are also significantly underrepresented in engineering roles within institutions managing Nepal’s road networks—female engineers comprise only six percent of technical staff at the Department of Roads with just one female "class 1" government officer assigned nationwide.
Across Nepal's transport sector—including storage and communications—only 3.5 percent of employees are women.
Efforts to boost female labor force participation include initiatives by The World Bank Group’s International Development Association (IDA). The IDA-financed Strategic Road Connectivity and Trade Improvement Project (SRCTIP) aims to increase women's employment in construction by addressing challenges associated with gender norms that hinder skilled employment opportunities for women.
The SRCTIP project provides training such as plumbing and scaffolding to 150 local community women along the NNM road corridor aiming to place 25 women into construction jobs. The project ensures equal pay, occupational health safety measures while addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) issues including child Sexual Exploitation Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH).
Additionally funded by IDA is the Second Bridges Improvement Maintenance Program (BIMP II), promoting women's institutional-level participation through sourcing more female engineers enhancing technical skills elevating their role within projects like Design Advanced Technology Cell (DATC). DATC hires trains engineers ensuring inclusion minimum thirty-three percent female representation envisioning increased future departmental roles for these trainees within Nepal's Department Roads system
Malika Awal overseeing BIMP II states: “Through DATC we’re training forty-two engineers design advanced bridges almost half being females.” This marks progress considering previously few females participated bridge design processes
Furthermore IDA-financed Accelerating Nepal Regional Transport Trade Connectivity ACCESS project plans address barriers limiting economic benefits from expanded roads lacking business skills timely market information necessary capital scale enterprises Establishing market areas highways dedicated woman entrepreneurs traders providing accredited entrepreneurship training digital financial literacy support expand businesses key objectives
The World Bank remains committed supporting Government close gender gap transport sectors increasing investments building skills creating job opportunities strengthening systems ensuring equitable benefits increased connectivity access services opportunities IDA efforts promoting inclusive growth valuable lessons broader infrastructure initiatives