Broken ladder for women in politics

July 23, 2024

KATHMANDU – Nepal’s new Cabinet under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli highlights a severe underrepresentation of women in public position, with just two women making it to the 22-member Council of Ministers. This marks a regression from the previous term, when women held four out of 20 positions, which is already a low number. Such invisibilisation of women is concerning in a country where women comprise 51.1 percent of the population.

The current composition of the Cabinet raises serious questions about Nepal and the newly appointed government’s commitment to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). It is not only the women who have been sidelined; there are no Dalits in Oli’s Cabinet.

The recent appointments suggest that our political leaders no longer attempt to maintain the “illusion of inclusion” or “tokenistic representation”, given that women’s representation in the Cabinet dropped from a low 20 percent to a concerning 9 percent. It reflects a serious lack of power position for women in political decision-making. If women still lack visible power in such leadership positions, is there any hope of an invisible or hidden power working in their favour?

A mirage of inclusion

Historically, Nepali women’s exclusion from open spaces of power has been a common practice, with numerous women leaders having to fight battles against patriarchal norms. Women have struggled for the right to vote, inherit property, or even join the so-called male-dominated professions like politics. The exclusion of women representatives from political spaces further undermines their ability to claim any space. If women are continually shut out from high-level positions such as the Cabinet of Ministers, it is unlikely that