Why women in politics and policy-making?
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| Picture Source: Facebook page of Women LEAD Nepal |
No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens -Michelle Obama
The article has been written from the experiences I gained at Women LEAD Nepal. The initial phase of the fellowship program called Young Women’s Political Leadership Institute gave us, the participants, a platform to talk to politicians and bureaucrats. Insights into the connection between the country’s economic development and women’s role in policy-making/politics have been my fruitful takeaway from the sessions. The personal opinions that I have shared here do not represent the organization.
Learning from Dr. Bimala Rai Poudel (Dr. Bimala Rai Poudel was a member of the National Assembly of the Federal Parliament of Nepal from 2018 A.D. to 2022 A.D.)
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| Dr. Bimala Rai Poudel at the session of Women LEAD Nepal. Picture source: WLEAD Nepal Facebook |
The second event she shared was post-earthquake aid distribution in 2015 A.D. Dr. Poudel received complaints from rural areas of Sindhupalchowk district stating that the government-sent sanitary pads, nutritional foods for babies, and mosquito nets for pregnant women were not enough for the population. The matter came as a shock to her and she enquired to the team responsible for the aid. The team consisting of all male officers was unaware of the requirements of these essential items(ignorance to the hilt).
The third event she shared was her interactions with male politicians during the citizenship rights. When Nepali citizens were in need of the right to citizenship through the name of Father “and/or” Mother, members of parliaments and other law experts were reluctant about this provision. “Women already have the right to property. If kids start taking up mothers’ surnames, what will men be left with?” a few male members in the room revealed their mindset with this line, which she shared without mentioning the names of any person involved in this law amendment.
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| Photo at the right side is exported from Women LEAD Nepal's Facebook page. |
The three events she shared are the basic examples of what happens in the country when women do not get their positions at the policy-making level. In the first event, the subject, an illiterate woman from rural Nepal was a victim of the poor law in Nepal for women’s health. Privileged women with education have the voice to speak up for those without a voice. For this purpose, women have to seek influential positions by rightfully earning them. The second event shows the repercussions of not having gender inclusivity in a professional environment. The male officers were not ill-intentioned, but the absence of female workers around them led to the lack of gender-inclusive post-disaster rehabilitation items. The third event is an example of years of rooted patriarchy that will need many years of work from female rights activists. The infant stage of modern development in Nepal doesn’t yet consider women to be capable of being primary power bearers in families and nations. We have miles to go before we see the majority of women as officials in policy-making, but we have to start teaching young girls to dream of those positions of power.
Learning from Dr. Binda Pandey (Dr. Pandey was a member of the National Parliament from 2018 A.D. to 2022 A.D. She was affiliated with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) )
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| Dr. Binda Pandey at the session of Women LEAD Nepal. Picture source: WLEAD Nepal Facebook |
Before I list down the points she shared, I would like to express my feelings toward Dr. Binda Pandey. Her witty honesty and her respect towards fellow female figures, irrespective of the political parties, made the session special for me. Her vast knowledge of history and social justice can be inspiring to any listener. I am writing the takeaways from her session in terms of the roles of women in important historical events.
Who writes history? Does it really matter who writes history? Yes, it matters. Why? The one who writes, usually the powerful one, glorifies his own groups and motives. The history of Nepal is somewhat similar when it comes to talking about women. Whether it is about the powerful females in Rana and Shah regimes or capable women post-1950 A.D. revolution, they’re limited to trivial news. Women are involved in politics from the local level to the parliament level, but the history talks and media give little space to their intellectual sides. They are talked of under the title of someone’s mother, wife, sister, daughter, and so on.
धर्तीमाथिको दाबी
अधिकारको लडाइँ
- This is one of the books written by Dr.Binda Pandey
Yogmaya can be considered the first feminist in Nepal. She led an important social justice movement in Nepal(for more information, please read the Nepali book Yogmaya). Following the movement, there have been women involved in Nepal Praja Parishad too. According to Dr. Pandey, women too risked their lives in the movement. They used to save the negative reels inside their waistband and carry it from Kathmandu to India on foot. Some prominent names of female leaders are Ram Maya Pode, Rewanta Kumari Acharya, and Sita Sharma. When male leaders were arrested, they helped from outside the prison. Why are they never talked about in history classes at school?
Divya Koirala was the mother of Congress leaders Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala(B.P. Koirala) and Girija Prasad Koirala. While we all read much about the contributions of the sons to Nepalese politics, the contribution of the mother is also an important side, said Dr. Pandey. Divya Koirala worked to strengthen her sons’ works when B.P. Koirala was in exile. The then-ruler Padma Shumsher Rana offered to release B.P. Koirala if Divya Koirala could convince her son to let go of the hunger strike. "I offered Daagbatti to my husband three years ago. I am ready to offer Daagbatti to my son too, but won’t ask him to let go of the hunger strike,” Divya Koirala is said to have replied. She also led an all-female protest back in 2003 B.S. and the group was taken into custody at Dhankuta. Despite all these, her name is not even included on Wikipedia as a parent of the Koirala sons, let alone highlighted in mainstream media.
(Dagbatti is a Hindu funeral ritual. A family member lights fire to cremate the dead body.)
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| Fellows at Young Women's Political Literacy Campaign. Dr. Binda Pandey standing fifth from the left. Picture source: WLEAD Nepal Facebook page |
The knowledge she shared helped me understand that the lack of prominent female public figures, especially politicians, was not because of the non-existence of those figures, but because of the way history and media have presented women figures over the years. The need to bring forward the stories that have been neglected all these years seems important. The question is, “Who is going to bring forward those stories?”.
As I put together my thoughts right now, I find hope for women in this country. There is much to do in terms of law, health, education, and other infrastructure of development. The female quota available in civil services is one of the opportunities we can make use of to reach positions of power. The availability of education has become easier than in the past for girls, and we have to use this education for women's empowerment. “In the past few decades, women empowerment focused on reproductive rights as needed in the country, but now you young girls have to include gender inclusivity in every sector of development,” Dr. Bimala Rai Poudel said. Her words etched my mind, creating a hopeful pathway.
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| I will write a poem for the one who comes up with a caption for this photo 😂 I love this picture. Thank you so much Priyankana Bastola didi for the photo 💜 |
❤️ 👐
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