A commendable increase, yet more needs to done

Women's representation in Nepal's civil service has increased to 29.2 percent by mid-March 2025 from 12 percent in 2008. The consistent increase over 17 years, according to data provided by the National Archives of Nepal, is the highest ever. Out of 85,529 civil servants, 41,563 are employed at the federal level, 32,808 at the local level, and 11,138 at the provincial level. The rise hasn't been restricted to numbers alone either. In the administrative service, women now occupy 42.19 percent, while their representation in the parliamentary service is still low at a mere 0.62 percent. Other technical and specialized areas have a similar wide gap. Women's representation is 15.86 percent in engineering, 11.45 percent in the judiciary, and a mere 2.93 percent in agriculture. The figures are lower again in the audit service at 1.19 percent, the foreign service at 0.71 percent, and economic planning and statistics at 0.70 percent. Seven women have so far climbed to the position of secretary in different ministries and commissions, while women hold just 9.1 percent of the positions under constitutional posts. In the 2024/25 fiscal year, 1,066 new entrants came in through the inclusive category, while 1,340 came in through open competition.