Gender and Democracy in Nepal

-Bindu Pokharel and Mira Mishra, Kathmandu

Gender inequality is ubiquitous. The notion of male supremacy has been justified, sustained, and continued through different institutions (economic, polity, culture), historically. However, the nation was challenged from time to time through different ways, e.g. writings, songs, and dance. In early 19th century, different types of knowledge emerged in understanding social realities. Critical perspective emerged to look at social realities. The Functional perspective, which explains everything as functional and beneficial, has been challenged by the critical perspective. Karl Marx is regarded as the pioneer of this perspective. He explained the inequality that prevailed in the society in terms of production and distribution of resources. However, even he was not able to explain inequality in terms of gender. Women's position was explained on the basis of their biology and biology was used to justify male supremacy in the society. However, the nation could not remain static. Writings from different fields, particularly, from the research work of an anthropologist, Margaret Mead challenged the concept of the males as superior and females as inferior in early 1930s.Worldwide, women's relatively lower position in the society that was considered theological started to be analyzed in depth. Collective challenge to the notion of male's supremacy, at international level was started in the 1960s. It was started by breaking the silence about women's oppression, subordination and subjugation. Issues of violence, dichotomization of public and private domain, systemic exclusion of women from publicarena, and devaluation of women's work started uncovering and put forward for public debate and discussion. As a result, new concepts and approaches emerged and continued to be emerging and developing to analyze social realities. Women in Development (WID), Women and Development (WAD), and Gender and Development (GED) are among the other powerful approaches, which provide new perspective to analyze existing hierarchical/ unequal gender relation.

Exclusion of women from the public arena has been highly realized for a long time. It was also realized that their subordination is embedded in their role as caretaker and nurturer. WID approach, which focused primarily on women's practical needs, was in the center of development discourse in late1960s. Moreover, those who believe in WID approach did not question why about women and continued to focus only on how women could be better integrated into mainstream development. This approach, in one way, created ample opportunities for women to participate in the public arena. In other words, it contributed multiple responsibilities for women. Later, mainly Marxist feminists, who believe that structural inequality is the root-cause of Women's subordination, heavily criticized this approach. They blamed liberal feminists who advocate for WID approach, for ignoring real economy. During early 1980s, WAD approach was developed, which assumes that women are already in the development field. Only their contributions are not properly recognized or devalued. GAD approach emerged in the late 1980s, focussing both on productive and reproductive role of women and integrating both women and men at the same time. According to Kate Yough (1987), " the GAD approach starts from a holistic perspective, looking at the totality of social organization, economic and political life in order to understand the shaping of particular aspects of society." It started visualizing gender relationships in a new way.

WID approach helped Nepalese women particularly rural woman to satisfy their practical needs to some extent. At the same time, it reinforced the traditional role of women by providing nutritional knowledge and population education to women only. WAD approach helped women to be economically independent by providing credit, and skill. This increased women's work burden dramatically. It is after GAD that policy and programs started integrating gender component in all sectors.

In the process women's studies began to emerge as a separate field of study. In 1960s, in USA, it was first introduced in Colleges and universities moved to Europe and spread all over the world. Women's studies emerged as a process of examining traditional disciplines, which include, women, systematically from producing the half-truth of social realities.

In Nepal women's studies program gained recognition as a separate discipline since 1989, when The Home Science Department, Padma Kanya Campus, incorporated women development as one - of the subjects, offered to Master level. Later in 1996, it emerged as a full-fledged one-year postgraduate diploma on women. Women’s studies re-conceptualize social world in general and women in particular. It is an intellectual and political means of seeking equality and justice for all people. The diploma program is not entirely new; however, some of its significant features make it different from other women related studies programs. This program conceptualizes men and women in equal terms, conceptualize women, gender within specific economic, culture and political settings.

It is a formal course with its own specific curriculum. It demands much more classroom teaching. Classroom teaching is useful, mainly, to impart theoretical knowledge. Only theoretical knowledge is not enough to be familiar with the existing social world. Theories in social science have to be proved constantly. Because of the nature of the human social world many of the theories become outdated and could not contribute in understanding realities. As we are aware that gender roles, gender relations are neither similar across culture nor historically static, there is need of continuous study of this process of change. It is necessary to understand the factors responsible for changes and the consequences of these changes. One has to understand interrelationship of social, cultural, political and economic aspects. Gender relation and gender roles are the product of this interrelationship.

Women's studies re-conceptualizes gender relationship to create just and human society. To meet this goal women's study curriculum has to adopt different methods. First, theoretical knowledge on gender role and gender relation from classroom teaching is needed. Second, classroom teaching has to be supplemented by the knowledge of the existing real life situation, and third, Action is needed to implement her/his knowledge to change the situation. According to Sociologists, research, advocacy and action can bring about social change. Seminar/ workshop can be the best forum to get knowledge of the existing social world, and make plans for advocacy and action. It is the forum where women and men involved in changing biased and sexist society can come together and develop strategies to change it through advocacy and action. The forum provides ample opportunities to the participants to share experiences, satisfy their curiosities, and come to the conclusion. Workshops/ seminars, talks, and field studies help a lot to enrich faculties.

Realizing the importance, women's study has been organizing workshops/seminars and field study regularly addressing different issues of gender since its inception. Women's study is a Trans-disciplinary subject, which draws knowledge from each subject to bring reliable knowledge on gender. Several issues needed to be addressed because each issue keeps it's own significance in understanding women, men and society. Issues such as domestic violence, discriminatory laws, cultural and religious forces, needed to be analyzed. However, with its limitation, the faculty is being able to conduct a number of workshops/seminars successfully with the financial support by different gender concerned organizations. The issues, selected for the workshops have their own solid ground; directly related with the women's studies curricula; salient feature of deciding gender roles and gender relationship. The curriculum includes sex and gender at conceptual level; Women and development at different sectors; Policies Programs on gender/women; and lastly, research from gender perspective. Therefore issues as changing Nepalese society and gender, creating awareness about equal property rights and Gender equality and democracy are relevant gender issues to be discussed in such forum. The issues discussed in the Workshops and seminars are also useful to develop strategies, which were one of the major objectives of organizing those workshops.

General trend towards privatization and marketization has contributed massive changes in economy and policies of countries like ours, which used to depend more on agriculture and state-provided facilities e.g. education, health, and other facilities. Gradual shift of Nepalese economy from agriculture to other sectors such as industry, and services led rural people, particularly women to loose their control over their resources. Besides, massive changes in technology and environment degradation also contributed changes in the lives of people of Nepal. Consequently, roles and relationship between the two genders also started changing. The consequences of changes in the economic and political sectors on gender relationship, the reaction of women to these changes and the stresses, conflict and contradictions that occur both at the macro and micro levels as the result of these changes have to be analyzed. Cultural forces that exist in society very much influence on accepting and internalizing certain social concepts on women and men and their positions in the society. Any attempt to change gender inequalities in the economic and political sphere cannot ignore these cultural forces.

After thirty years of partyless Panchayat system, Nepalese political system has changed to Multi-party democracy in 1991. The new Constitution was developed to restore democracy. In any democratic country, constitution is the fundamental law. The most systematic and severe attack to inequality can be made by the constitution of a country. The constitution has to support such circumstances where people from all categories can enjoy equal rights. Though the constitution of Nepal admits equal rights to all; economic, political and socio-cultural factors and presence of discriminatory laws hinder people in our society to enjoy the equality. Moreover, women and people of minority are not able to enjoy the rights. The rights, which are conceptualized as human rights, needed to be rethought from a gender perspective.

The paper presented in the seminar, focus on the economic, socio-cultural, political factors as well as on discriminatory laws, which are hindering women to enjoy democracy as men are doing.

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