Electoral syndicate against women

From the first election, one thing that hasn't changed is the politics of hegemonic masculinity.

On the eve of the 2022 local election, staying mute as mere bystanders when women’s representation in local bodies is being strategically slashed is no more an option. If one were to trace the evolution of elections in Nepal, one thing that appears to be unchanging and static over the years, formidable and overbearing, especially to women voters and candidates alike, is the politics of hegemonic masculinity. Elections reveal how hegemonic masculinity overbears state power as well as the governmental, non-governmental and private mechanisms by which it subjugates or excludes women. Even though the constitution guarantees fair political representation, women, especially those from the socio-political periphery, continue to be a political minority although they are the actual majority. This says a lot about how our supposedly democratic polity that formalistically upholds the mission of prioritising fair political representation and equitable power and resource distribution is in the clutches of hegemonic masculinity.