Young women and children face a changing world in Laya

Sonam Choden, a 41-year-old mother, watches the late October clouds gather with a familiar sense of dread. Her 11-year-old son begins to resist, saying, “On rainy days, I don’t want to go to school.”

For him, the rain isn’t just about getting wet—it represents a deeper struggle in Laya, Gasa, where children’s education faces constant obstacles from tradition, climate, and hardship.

Families in Laya are seeing rapid shifts in their lives, as climate change disrupts their routines. The warming climate, with its unpredictable patterns, brings both new possibilities and challenges. Parents juggle changing roles, while children are caught between traditional expectations, climate pressures, and an uncertain future.

Laya has 304 households today

Issues like early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and school dropout rates are all deeply affected by forces beyond their control.

The impact of climate change

The climate that once dictated life in Laya is changing. Winters are often dry, and unseasonal rains now disrupt summer routines. For children, these changes add another obstacle to staying in school. “It’s already hard to keep children in school,” one father said. “The weather makes it harder.”

Changes in snow and rain patterns impact not only agricultural schedules but the entire community’s rhythm. In the short term, the warming climate has brought unexpected benefits—villagers can now grow vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, not common until recently in the region.

This new agricultural potential, however, has led to water scarcity, placing additional burdens on families. “We used to have enough water, but now, with so many households, especially in Nyilo village, it’s hard to keep up,” Sonam Choden said. 

The double burden on women

In Laya’s close-knit society, labour roles are divided: men herd yaks and transport goods, while women manage the home and care for children.

But as climate change strains these traditional roles, responsibilities are shifting. When weather disrupts herding, women find themselves stepping in. “We already manage everything at home, and now, with less water and more work, it’s harder than ever,” Pem Sithar from Pazhi village, said. Pem, 30, also assists her parents, who herd yaks on a nearby mountainside.

For Layap women, each adaptation comes at a personal cost. “I even help my husband transport goods for tourists when mule trails get muddy,” Dechen Wangmo, a mother of two, said. She and other women also join their partners in collecting cordyceps, a key source of income. “One can earn about Nu 100,000 in a season,” she added.

Early marriage and school dropouts

For young girls in Laya, these pressures are particularly intense. Despite laws prohibiting marriage before 18, early marriage remains common.

Many girls marry by 16 and face pregnancy soon after, cutting short their education. “I wanted to finish school, but I had to drop out,” says a 20-year-old mother, who married young after her parents divorced.

Family responsibilities often pull students away from school. According to the villagers, children from class 8 to 10 are often leaving school to support their families—caring for siblings, herding, or managing household duties when a parent is unavailable. For girls, the pressure to marry young adds another layer of difficulty. “Once married, these young women often become mothers before they’ve had a chance to grow up themselves,” a villager said.

Some young women, however, are beginning to chart a new course. Growing awareness of personal rights has led to a rise in divorces among younger couples. “I was too young to understand marriage,” a young mother who married at 15 and later separated, said. “Now I know what I want for myself and want a chance to choose my own future.”

While divorce can offer newfound freedom, it also creates instability that affects children’s schooling and wellbeing. One visitor from Thimphu said that shifting family dynamics can leave children bearing the psychological burden of fractured homes, which can disrupt their education.

Divorce in Laya, according to a married woman, has become like a game. She said that couples change partners very often.

However, local leaders say that early marriage and divorce cases have recently declined. “Education and awareness among parents have made these issues less common,” says Laya Gup Tshewang, chairperson of Dzongkhag Tshogdu.

Voices of resilience and hope

Despite these pressures, a resilient spirit runs through Laya. Parents who faced barriers to education now dream of something different for their children. “I left school young, but I want my children to finish and have choices I didn’t,” one mother said.

The villagers understand that education, however challenging, holds the promise of a better life. Young people also voice hopes for change. Some girls aspire to break away from the tradition of early marriage, while boys hope to use education to support their families in new ways. “I will continue my studies until graduation, even if my parents pressure me to stay home,” said one student, who is currently in Class 8.

Many families believe that, with better resources, they could break the cycle of early marriage and school dropout. The warming climate, shifting family roles, and a drive to educate children reflect Laya’s determination to adapt. “We hope for initiatives that will stabilise our lives—investments in water management, better education, and support for young mothers,” Khandu, a 26-year-old father recently separated from his wife, said.

Contributed by

Rinzin Wangchuk

The story is supported by UNICEF through JAB for the journalism reporting grant on climate change and children