ABSTRACT

This chapter offers a summary of the book's key findings on Nepali women's political agency in the transition from war to peace. It also represents an effort to assess whether Nepal deserves its reputation as a case of successful transition from war to post-conflict women's empowerment. A central theme of research on women's political participation is concerned with the historically evident and widespread gender imbalances in decision-making power and the implications of this imbalance for women's access to resources, rights, and entitlements for women. Peacebuilding processes and related transitions have been viewed as the potential sites for women to advance their rights and take on a greater role in governance and politics, especially by way of constitutional revisions. Peacebuilding is thus perceived as a unique opportunity for enhancing women's empowerment in post-conflict reconstruction. The political mobilization of women was amplified in Nepal as a result of the Maoists' successful mobilization of women during the conflict.