Women’s access to and participation in economic activities in the natural resources sectors in Nepal: Insights from a sectoral policy review
Abstract
Economic empowerment has been recognised as a pathway towards women’s overall empowerment. Appropriate public policies and their effective implementation are necessary preconditions to ensure equal access to opportunities, resources, and rights for women. Agriculture and forestry are key sectors where rural women continue to be engaged in Nepal. In this paper, we (a) conduct a critical analysis of federal policies – agriculture, forestry, cooperatives and economic policies that focus on advancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE) in Nepal, and (b) examine the sectoral coherence in providing a conducive policy environment. A desk review of policies identified provisions addressing gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), and specific provisions supporting WEE. Insights and experiences from a participatory action research (PAR) project are used to illustrate the policy implementation challenges, the policy-practice gaps, and issues related to sectoral coherence, that enable or constrain women’s empowerment in these sectors. The review reveals that a supportive policy environment exists for strengthening women’s economic status. However, weak mainstreaming of WEE across different sectors persists due to structural and institutional barriers. There are gaps in the translation of policies into practice, and poor inter-sectoral and inter-institutional harmonisation and coherence limit the potential for more sustained positive impact on the ground.