Gender reform is one of the recurring agenda in the present policy context of Nepal where Nepal aims to consolidate its preparedness to end discrimination between men and women in Nepalese societies, among others. This holds urgent importance in Nepal, where women despite constituting for about 50% of its total population, still face rampant and recurring discrimination. Previous attempts of gender reforms have while spurred noteworthy policy and structural changes, and yet everyday practice and power relations between men and women remain largely unchanged and discriminatory (to women). Drawing upon experience of gender reforms in three cases- community forestry, land rights and abortion rights, this paper analyzes the discursive framework that informs the gender reform policies and practices with subsequent effects to abating gender discrimination in Nepal.
The findings indicate that early calls for gender reforms has largely been capital centric and driven by some external-donor agenda of reform. While an early call of reform is essential to challenge the status quo-irrespective of the sources and actors, there are practical process-relatedgaps to contextualize those gender reforms as an urgent and everyday need arising out of everyday contestations in a changing Nepalese society. As a result, gender reforms have been labeled as an external and western driven agenda and were not internalized by men and women in the society. Suchlack of internalization for gender reforms neither evoked responsible behavior on part of men, women and society nor was responsive institutions put in place for adequate enforcement and monitoring. As a result, while enacted policies granted greater rights to women, there was little space wherein the granted rights could be implemented, consolidated and enjoyably claimed by the very women who are entrusted with those legal rights.
The paper points out the need to blend gender reforms into everyday practice of Nepalese society and proposes recommendations.