Women Politicians Responding to Patriarchy in Postconflict Nepal

Abstract Women’s movements have played a crucial role in fighting for women’s rights and freedoms. Some women join the armed movements in search of equality. Women have participated in grassroots movements demanding space in the political arena. For example, postwar countries like Burundi, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Rwanda have effectively passed women’s quota seats (as part of a peace deal) thanks to women’s movements, and this has helped women to enter politics. Despite the formal progress in descriptive representation, women politicians face backlash. Feminist scholars argue that the rise of anti-feminist values threatens women’s gains. Building on this argument, this study investigates how female politicians responded to patriarchy in postwar Nepal. It asks how women who enter political spaces navigate patriarchy while sustaining their political positions and power. The paper's findings offer three distinct categories of female politicians (risk-takers, opportunity seekers, and opt-to-disengage). Categorization unpacks diverse strategies and tactics women politicians developed to respond to patriarchy, retain positions and power, and make their current and future political and personal decisions. The study relies on thirty-one in-depth interviews conducted with women politicians. This paper enhances existing debates on patriarchy and women politicians and an understanding of quota politics.