The debate on women's participation and empowerment has been at the center of national development in Nepal for the past few decades. Along with the development of democratic practices, the issue of gender equality has also started to come to the mainstream of national and international debates.

Although the guarantee of equal rights guaranteed by the constitution has seen an increase in social, economic and political participation of women, practical challenges still remain. There is a growing understanding that gender equality and women's empowerment is the foundation of overall national development, social justice and democracy. Especially in the last decade, the joint efforts of the Nepalese government, civil society and international bodies have brought women's participation to new heights. 

The recently published 'Women and Men in Nepal 2081' report by the Central Statistics Department under the government has factually presented the multifaceted nature of women's participation. In terms of education, there has been a significant improvement in women's participation. According to the same report, 59.6 percent of females above the age of 5 are literate, while this ratio is 78.7 percent among males. This fact shows that the female literacy rate is improving but the gender gap still remains. 

Although the enrollment rate of female and male students at the primary level is almost the same (97.8 percent for female students and 97.5 percent for male students), the female attendance rate at the secondary level is only 77.9 percent, which is slightly lower compared to 80.7 percent for male students. However, the enrollment rate of women in higher education has reached 52.9 percent, which is an encouraging sign from the past. 

Looking at participation in the health sector, women's access has improved compared to previous years. The maternal mortality rate has come down to 151 per 100,000 live births in 2021 from 539 in 2006. This indicates that there has been a lot of improvement in the health system. Currently, 84.9 percent of women in the age group of 15-49 years have undergone a health check-up at least once during pregnancy. However, this ratio is still low in rural areas. According to the data of 2023, 68 percent of pregnant women have had four antenatal check-ups, which is still considered insufficient or low from the point of view of safe motherhood. After the local level elections in 2017, the state spent a lot of investment through local municipalities with the idea of providing health services to rural areas, but the role of skilled health workers in maternity services is still limited in urban areas, while rural areas continue to rely on traditional methods. 

In terms of political participation, the presence of women has increased significantly. After the implementation of the republican constitution in 2015, the representation of women in the current federal parliament is 33.1 percent. The constitution itself has ensured 33 percent female participation. In terms of Provincial Assemblies, seven provinces combined have a total representation of 36.36 percent. At the local level, there is a legal provision that one of the mayors and deputy mayors in municipalities must be women, and one woman must be elected as president and vice president in rural villages. Similarly, one open woman member and one Dalit woman member in the ward is legally mandatory, so this rate is even higher. In 2017, 40.95 percent of women were elected at the local level, while in the 2022 election, 41.21 percent of women were elected, according to the Election Office. 

Women's participation in the economic sector is gradually expanding. According to the Labor Force Survey 2080, the labor force participation rate of women above 15 years of age is 30.5 percent, which is much lower than that of men at 67.5 percent. This shows that women are still economically dependent or confined to the informal sector. 67.8 percent of women are employed in the agricultural sector, which is an informal, labor-intensive and low-income sector. 21.5 percent of women are employed in the service sector and 10.7 percent in the production and construction sector. A large proportion of women are involved in the unorganized and less secure sector, which raises questions about the assurance of their social security and labor rights. 

There has been a positive change in the last decade in terms of self-employment and women entrepreneurship. Women have started to become economically active especially through micro finance, cooperative and microfinance programs. According to the National Economic Survey 2075, 29.8 percent of the total businesses are owned by women, but most of them are domestic, small and low-income businesses. Women entrepreneurs still face difficulties in accessing technology, capital, skills and market expansion. Nepali women have always been deprived of access to finance due to the fact that they do not have the necessary collateral and property to take loans from financial institutions. 

The role of civil society and non-governmental organizations in women's empowerment is remarkable. Not only in urban areas, but also in rural areas, women's groups, cooperatives, skill development centers and legal aid organizations have played an important role in uplifting women's living standards. In particular, women's groups working in rural areas are involved in collective savings, income generating programs, awareness training and local leadership development. More than 50,000 women are active in various groups in Nepal, who are contributing strongly to community development. 

The impact of climate change is also directly related to women's empowerment. In rural and hilly areas, women play a major role in water, fuel, and agricultural production, so the climate crisis has had a direct impact on women. In agriculture-based households, the burden of women doubles when food security is a problem due to rains, floods and droughts. When women's participation in climate adaptation policies and disaster management programs is low, their experiences and needs are neglected. Therefore, gender approach is becoming mandatory from policy formulation to implementation. 

In the past, women who were limited to the domestic and agricultural sectors now seem to have reached a significant number in foreign employment. Not only in Europe and America, the number of women going to work abroad is increasing every year. According to the National Planning Commission, about 10 percent of the Nepali workers who have gone abroad for employment are women. 

It is clear that significant progress has been made in women's participation and empowerment in Nepal. Women's activism is increasing in various aspects such as education, health, politics, economic sector, legal rights, social awareness, climate adaptation and migration. Nepali women have been represented as President, Chief Justice, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister and Chairman of various committees of the National Assembly and the House of Representatives, Chairman of the Federation of Nepal Industry and Commerce, and Chairman of the Federation of Nepal Journalists. Not only in urban areas, but also in rural areas, women's activism has increased.