The average woman in the hills spends at least a fourth of her day fetching water from sources that are getting farther and farther away as more and more natural springs dry up. This scarcity in a region of plenty seems like a cruel joke. Even as Bishnu Kumari trudges up and down the slopes six times daily carrying water for her household, in the valley below the blue Indrawati river flows down from the snowy mountains. But the water in the Indrawati is of little practical use to Bishnu Kumari who has to depend on the rains to irrigate her fields. If the rains fail or fall at an inopportune time, her crops are ruined.
Male migration is another problem for women in many parts of the region.
Although older men may remain home, younger and more able men venture out in search of work and are often absent for months on end. During this period women must not only put in extra effort to make up for lost hands in the fields, they must also struggle to find ways to sustain themselves and their families. Despite the tough life, women in the mountains enjoy a better status than that accorded to most women in the plains. Dowry deaths and female infanticide are almost non-existent in the hills. Buddhists and ethnic groups like Rais and Limbus are known to accord equal status to their women.