In general, Nepali women today have greater chances of being better educated and employed, of having the power to decide how to spend their earnings, and of independently making decisions about their lives than the women of earlier generations. Statistics reflect greater participation of women in education and workforce, and their increasing ownership of house and property. From being chattels themselves (early laws of many nations defined women as being the “movable property” of the male head of the household), to owning property, women of Nepal have come a long way. Health wise, with a reduction in maternal mortality and an increasing acceptance of contraceptives and abortion at women’s prerogative, women have a better control of their reproductive lives than at any other point in recorded history.
These progressive changes for women are attributed to “western influence”, to “modernizing society”, or to education, but rarely to feminists, probably becuse in Nepal, many of these changes have come about without formal lobbying. However, when we do trace the origins of the progressive changes in Nepal, we arrive at the earliest western feminists, whose organized movements and lobbying led to changes like rights to vote, gain education, be employed and own property in western nations. It is doubtful if developing nations like Nepal would have achieved such progress in women’s rights without these pioneering movements. For example, entering into the suffrage battle at the tail end of the scene, Nepal granted voting rights to men and women together in 1950 when the country got rid of Rana autocracy and moved toward democracy. But without the preceding debates about women’s suffrage in western nations, it is doubtful if Nepali women would have gained that victory then.
And yet, contemporary movements do not have widespread public support. Words like “woman’s day” or “women’s movements” have gained a stigma in society, with the term “feminist” meeting with perhaps the greatest resistance. Formalized celebrations of womanhood are alleged to be ineffective, while feminists are assumed to be a special breed of aggressive women who will stop at nothing less than a complete reversal of existing power rules. Any woman who asks for a better life for herself and fellow women is labeled a feminist, and women, even those who are otherwise confident of their womanhood, are quick to shed the label, afraid of being pigeonholed as the stereotypical feminist. It is time for us to understand that not every feminist is the same, most feminists just want better lives for women, and whether or not a woman wants to identify as a feminist is up to her.
Past women’s movements have given women the laws, rights, and opportunities that many of us take for granted today, while movements today are about raising awareness about problems that still plague women. Occupy Baluwatar, for example, is a movement against Gender Based Violence that is a vestige of the days when women were considered lesser human beings, and International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate and appreciate women and raise issues that continue to plague women. It is time to support contemporary movements and help them make changes in the deeply entrenched social values that hinder women from achieving their full potential.
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