Women in Nepalese Politics: The Role of Political Parties in Political Inclusion

Abstract

In Nepal, women's political participation has a long history and is bolstered by progressive constitutional and legal commitments, such as required gender quotas that demand a minimum of 33% representation from women. Despite these developments, women's leadership and meaningful involvement in political parties are still scarce. The gap between legal commitments to gender equality and women's real access to power is the main subject of this study, which looks at political parties' function as institutional gatekeepers in influencing women's political engagement in Nepal. The study, which is based on a feminist institutionalist framework, uses a qualitative research design and semi-structured interviews with 25 women leaders from six major political parties at the federal level. It also analyzes party statutes, election laws, constitutional provisions, official election data, and pertinent literature. The results show that although political parties have legally enacted inclusive laws, gender quotas, and women-focused programs, these actions frequently lead to descriptive rather than substantive representation. Women's impact in important decision-making domains is nevertheless limited by informal norms, patronage networks, male-dominated leadership structures, and intersectional hurdles about caste, ethnicity, and class. Based on a feminist institutionalist paradigm, the study used a qualitative research design and semi-structured interviews with twenty-five female leaders from six major federal political parties. It also examines relevant literature, official election data, election laws, party statutes, and constitutional issues. The findings demonstrate that while political parties have legally implemented women-focused initiatives, gender quotas, and inclusive laws, these measures often result in descriptive rather than substantive representation. However, informal norms, patronage networks, male-dominated leadership structures, and intersectional barriers related to caste, race, and class limit women's influence in crucial decision-making domains.