We know that quotas are not a panacea, but nevertheless they can be useful if we invest in capacity building. We need to find creative ways to get policy making and by default, politics, interesting and attractive to young women from the early stage of their educational journey
The upcoming local elections are once again proving how tough it is for women to run for office.
Yet, while turning the tide is a generational effort, as the society is still dominated by patriarchal mindsets, we are noticing that the seeds of change are slowing sprouting.
It is still an urban phenomenon, but at least now there is a clear awareness blurring into assertiveness that women do count too, and they can play a vital role in politics as well.
For more and more women to reclaim a space and exercise their right to participate in the political battlefield, we need to work at multiple levels. We need to nourish an ecosystem in which doing politics for women, especially young girls, becomes a new normal.
It is essential to create opportunities for young women, starting from high schools, to get them more interested in the public.
Education and learning are key because, ultimately, effective politics depends exclusively on the competence, knowledge and expertise of those holding office.
Women can show the way on this. That's why the intricacies of policy making must be fully understood by anyone wishing to enter the arena.
I am not talking only about how a policy or legislation is formulated or how a local council works. This is the hardware, the rules of the games. Young women aspiring to get involved in politics also need to master an understanding of issues at play, their interconnections and a capacity for novel solutions to the most daunting problems we face.
Recently, I came to know about the Center for Gender and Politics, or CGAP, a youths-led pan-south Asian think tank that wants to elevate the role of women in politics across the region.
The way you should pronounce CGAP is bold and gives you a straightforward message: "see-gæp".
This mission, noticing and acting on the huge gap between women's desire to enter the political arena and the grim reality of everyday politics in the region, is one of the biggest challenges we have to tackle. Because we should all be clear that if we want to create unemployment, reduce inequalities, and ensure a just transition towards a more sustainable net zero future, then we need to have more women in power.
CGAP believes that "political leadership is the most powerful tool to change people's lives and bring gender equality". Its theory of change focusses on allyship with men and also on the importance of creating a positive narrative that "contributes to creating positive spaces for women in politics".
Akhil Neelam, one of the founders and the director at CGAP, is convinced of the important role Nepal can have in helping shape a new way of doing politics, one driven and led by women. I had a chance to have an e-mail-based conversation with him and with Kritika Giri, the CGAP country representative for Nepal. Neelam shares: "Nepal, with its shared geography, culture and social elements with other South Asian states, influences the women's political agency and identity in the region.
In the recent years, the increased participation of young feminists in social and political movements in the country has further contributed to women's agency in South Asia".
The stakes could not be higher in the quest of asserting the rights of women to participate in politics, according to Giri.
"It is disappointing to see the number of women candidates contesting this election is lesser than in the last election. With only 37.84 per cent women contesting, the number of women who will win might come down even more".
She continues: "Women have got fewer opportunities to stand as mayors and deputy mayors while more women are being fielded for ward member positions only". Moreover, she remarked, we see how controversial male politicians like Keshav Sthapit can still find an audience despite a past characterised by alleged sexual harassments.
CGAP is just at its beginning, and it's run by a network of volunteers from across the region. Through its flagship programme, Women for Politics, Neelam explains, the organisation is committed to "replacing narratives that define South Asian women as victims, with recognition and celebration of women's achievements as political and community leaders".
We know that quotas are not a panacea, but nevertheless they can be useful if we invest in capacity building.
We need to find creative ways to get policy making and by default, politics, interesting and attractive to young women from the early stage of their educational journey.
Ideally we should have a pipeline of activities that induce young women to join the arena. High schools and colleges must support this process, facilitating it, even partnering with organisations like CGAP.
We could make boot camps a norm not just for promoting new startups targeting young women entrepreneurs but also to enhance women's venturing in politics. These could be labs where they can grasp all the details of policy making and the tricks on how to run an effective political campaign.
Ultimately, South Asia will also need specific funding vehicles to support women to run for office.
"We see ourselves producing grounded research on gender and politics in South Asia that can be used to improve existing efforts of capacity building, awareness and advocacy for improved gender inclusion in political spaces,"Neelam elaborates.
In relation to CGAP's plans for Nepal, he says: "We want to collaborate with more grassroots organisations to promote women's representation across all levels by sharing knowledge and evidence from across the South Asian region."
Let's not forget that politics is ultimately about finding ways to solve people's problems. If we aspire for a better South Asia, we need to invest in making it easier for women to join politics.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 09, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
