Gender roles and relations are culturally defined in South Asia. Men dominated and continue to dominate society, while women play a secondary role. The division is clearly visible in Nepalese society, spanning various dimensions such as politics, economic independence, property rights, and health issues. Women in Nepal have long experienced high levels of poverty, social exclusion, and marginalization because of their gender. The intersection between gender and caste/ ethnicity is particularly important in Nepal, where over 80 ethnic groups, each with their own rules, responsibilities, traditions, languages, morals, and values, reside. Gender-related disadvantages are greatly exacerbated for women from ethnic minorities and low-caste groups.Women in Nepal have long experienced high levels of poverty, social exclusion, and marginalization because of their gender.
Yogmaya Neupane (1867–1941) was Nepal's first revolutionary leader who gave a voice to the voiceless -women, lower-castes, the exploited, and the marginalized --when the entire country was ruled by the autocratic Rana regime. She attempted self-immolation in protest of inequalities (to end corruption, gender, and caste discrimination, and adopt a vow of truth) but her attempt was disrupted by the Rana regime. Neupane was jailed for attempting immolation, becoming the first woman in the country known to have been incarcerated for her political beliefs. She also got married thrice when widow marriage wasan unpardonable offense. In 1941, Neupane and 67 of her followers committed mass suicide by jumping into the Arun River in protest.
Nepal got its first feminist organization, Nepal Women's Association, in 1947. Its establishment is credited to a strong woman activist leader, Mangala Devi Singh, who is still remembered as an audacious leader who fought valiantly for women's rights and freedom since the age of 16. Other prominent female leaders who played a crucial role in bringing about gender equality in Nepal are Tara Devi Sharma, Angur Baba Joshi, Sahana Pradhan, Sadhana Pradhan Adhikari, Kamaksha Devi Rana, Kanak Lata Shrestha, Onsari Gharti, and Hira Devi Tuladhar.
Women's groups gained momentum after Nepal briefly democratized in 1950, demanding rights to education, property, and equality before the law. Tara Devi Sharma was the driving force behind the abolishment of polygamy and the establishment of the right to divorce. Angur Baba Joshi, a social activist and the first woman principal in Nepal, played a crucial role in ensuring gender parity in education policies and schemes.
The first female campus of Nepal, Padma Kanya Multiple Campus (PKMC), was established in 1951. Subsequently, Gender Studies emerged, being introduced as a formal two-year Master's program for the first time in the country in 2009.
Over the years, the movement to empower women has evolved into 'inter-generational feminism,' through which young women, men, and even children can raise their voices for the rights of different genders, languages, geographic regions, and religious minorities, calling for representation and equality through the law and the democratic process as a whole. Following the restoration of democracy in 1990, a number of women rose to positions of prominence in government, not only providing much-needed representation but also serving as role models for young women. In 1995, Sailaja Acharya became the country's first deputy prime minister, and in 2007, Sahana Pradhan became the country's first female foreign minister.
A significant national milestone, the Constitution of Nepal (2015), enshrined equal rights for women, the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized, becoming a watershed in the fight for gender equality. Nepal's 2015 Constitution is among the most progressive in South Asia for gender equality and the implementation of women's rights.The introduction of gender quota systems stipulated in the 2015 Constitution and Civil Service Act has dramatically improved female representation at national and regional levels.
Women made up only 5.9% of members of parliament in 2005, but in adherence to the quota, now comprise at least 33% of the seats in the Nepali parliament. The 2015 Constitution also mandates that at least one woman be included among the nation's highest positions -President or Vice-President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, and Chair or Vice Chair of the National Assembly.At the municipality level, at least one of the mayors and deputy mayor positions must be filled by a woman. At the local level, women hold at least 40% of all top political positions. As a result, Nepal has 7 women mayors, 276 women deputy mayors, 11 women chairpersons, and 424 women vice chairpersons, totaling718women in top positions in local bodies. Nepali women hold 41% of governance positions (at all three levels of government). Most notably, with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Nepal is one of only 24 countries in the world with a woman leader.
Female representation in positions of power has created a powerful and reinforcing wave of gender egalitarianism. In particular, Nepali women who have held the highest offices have broken glass ceilings, rising through the ranks within unbalanced power structures.
According to the Gender Development Index, Nepal tops the list of countries in Asia that have made progress in terms of women's empowerment. In 2020, the Global Gender Gap Index for Nepal was 0.68. The index is measured across eight indicators that include mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pensions revolving around the life cycle of a working woman. In fact, the Global Gender Gap Index of Nepal increased from 0.55 index in 2006 to 0.68 index in 2020, growing at an average annual rate of 1.62%. Despite a global pandemic that threatened progress toward gender equality, Nepal outpaced all countries in the South Asian region in the Women, Business, and the Law 2022 index, scoring 80.6 points out of 100.
The Nepalese government has established various laws and regulations, as well as specialized bodies such as the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, and the National Women Commission, to promote gender equality. However, gender disparities in Nepal have not been completely eliminated. Some of the government policies that have successfully demonstrated that women can be encouraged and empowered with the support of governmental efforts and institutions are : Women will be given a 35 percent exemption on industry registration if they register in their own name, 20 percent deduction for patent, design and trade mark fees, 25 percent land tax deduction on property owned by women, 35 percent land tax deduction on property owned by single women ( 19% to 39.5% ownership of property),collateral free loan at 6 percent interest rate to assist in financing the business of women entrepreneurs.
Although the road to gender inclusive political participation has not been easy, Nepali women have been quite successful in securing their rights over the last decade. However, significant inequalities persist, especially in decision-making positions, which are almost entirely held by men. Women continue to be outliers in political decision-making, with only 2% representation in decision-making positions. This is due in large part to social norms and harmful practices that directly limit women's voice and agency, as well as women's limited access to information, resource constraints, and insufficient support systems.
Simply counting the number of women in political offices distorts perceptions of progress and reinforces the flawed assumption that simply increasing the number of women in high-level political positions is a silver bullet for women's political empowerment.Understanding-and measuring-women's political empowerment in more comprehensive terms is the only way to make sustainable progress on gender equality.
This write up was presented by the writer at the Oxford Women's leadership Symposium 2022,UK which was also published.
