Why Should We Debate on the Women's Movement?
Understanding the Structural Oppression of Women
Women are not regarded as equal to men by the entire social structure, including the home, society, religion, law, and the state. Women’s bodies, labor, mobility, and sexuality are subjected to extreme control. They are deprived of access to resources, their presence in public spaces is nearly prohibited, and they are confined to the household in the role of servants.
Any form of struggle for equal rights and status against the structures, ideologies, and systems that have oppressed women in these various ways for thousands of years constitutes a women’s movement. Throughout every period in history, women have resisted, struggled, and organized in diverse ways.
The Evolution of Women’s Movements in Nepal
In Nepal, during a time when the democratic, political, social, cultural, and economic rights of the general populace were virtually non-existent, issues related to women’s oppression and rights began to emerge alongside the broader struggle for citizens’ political rights. However, the concerns of women from various communities only started to gain organized attention around 2046 B.S. (1990 A.D.).
It was not until the decade-long People’s War that issues specifically affecting grassroots women began to take on a more tangible form. Similar to the West, the early stages of the women’s rights movement in Nepal were led by upper-class and middle-class women. These women predominantly came from politically and educationally privileged families, representing the so-called higher-caste Brahmins and educated Newar communities of Kathmandu. Most of the issues they raised were shaped by their own social needs and realities, leaving the concerns of working-class women, indigenous women, Dalit women, Madhesi women, geographically marginalized women, Muslim women, and women from gender and sexual minorities overlooked.
However, over time, movements for identity, the decade-long People’s War, the Madhes movement, and other social uprisings created spaces for women from various classes, castes, communities, and regions to assert their presence within these movements. This process brought some of their issues to the surface, though not entirely. Many of their concerns remain marginalized, but the process of highlighting these voices continues.
Intersectionality and Exclusion in Nepal’s Women’s Movements
In Nepal, during a time when the democratic, political, social, cultural, and economic rights of the general populace were virtually non-existent, issues related to women’s oppression and rights began to emerge alongside the broader struggle for citizens’ political rights. However, the concerns of women from various communities only started to gain organized attention around 2046 B.S. (1990 A.D.).
It was not until the decade-long People’s War that issues specifically affecting grassroots women began to take on a more tangible form. Similar to the West, the early stages of the women’s rights movement in Nepal were led by upper-class and middle-class women. These women predominantly came from politically and educationally privileged families, representing the so-called higher-caste Brahmins and educated Newar communities of Kathmandu. Most of the issues they raised were shaped by their own social needs and realities, leaving the concerns of working-class women, indigenous women, Dalit women, Madhesi women, geographically marginalized women, Muslim women, and women from gender and sexual minorities overlooked.
However, over time, movements for identity, the decade-long People’s War, the Madhes movement, and other social uprisings created spaces for women from various classes, castes, communities, and regions to assert their presence within these movements. This process brought some of their issues to the surface, though not entirely. Many of their concerns remain marginalized, but the process of highlighting these voices continue
Challenges That Women Movement in Nepal Faces Today
Globally, various ideologies have emerged to explain, analyze, and address the oppression of women and the paths toward achieving their rights. Among these, liberal feminism, Marxist feminism, and socialist feminism have been particularly influential. These three ideologies have primarily shaped the discourse on women’s rights and movements in Nepal as well.
In the context of Nepal, not all women share the same status, nor do they face oppression to the same extent. Consequently, the issues and movements addressing women’s rights need to be shaped accordingly. The Constitution of Nepal, promulgated in 2015 (B.S. 2072), marked the conclusion of a significant political chapter. It is essential to recognize the sacrifices, struggles, and contributions of women’s rights movements in achieving the milestones institutionalized in this Constitution.
However, even in terms of legal equality, the current Constitution perpetuates grave discrimination against women (the provisions related to citizenship being a prime example). It confines women to a state of dependency and relegates them to second-class status. Several other laws also remain discriminatory. Women continue to be under strict control by family and religion, while the market thrives on the commodification of women.
The Path Forward: A Call for Debate and Action
In the broader context, there is a section of society that perceives women’s movement as simply raising fragmented issues without addressing the larger picture, speaking at festivals, seminars, and conferences, writing articles, or posting status updates on social media. Another group, mostly middle-class liberals, seems to be under the illusion that women’s equality will be achieved through various types of campaigns.
Nepal’s women’s movement has become detached from the issues and struggles of grassroots women. Political representation has been concentrated in the hands of a small elite. The movement, which seeks legal equality as the highest form of justice, is largely controlled by middle-class liberal ideologies and opportunistic NGO workers.
It is not surprising that the global women’s movement and its discourse have slowed down. The issues and rights have become limited to academic circles and INGOs. There is a need for discussions on the global women’s movement, the movements in the Global South, women’s movements in South Asian countries, as well as a review and comparative study of the lessons Nepal can learn.
In the country, most women, especially those in rural areas, are unaware of the women’s movement. Women are forced to endure double oppression under both feudal and capitalist patriarchy. To break this situation, what should be the path to securing women’s rights in Nepal?
This is a crucial debate that must be addressed.
(This article is the edited English version of a previously published article in Kantipur National Daily. You can read the original Nepali version here: https://shorturl.at/q7Qpg )
