Nepali Times

The new Nepal government has been heavily criticised for the lack of diversity in the cabinet, especially the fact that only two out of 21 ministers are women. But it is not just a problem in Nepal, the issue resonates globally.

Most countries have not attained 50 per cent female representation in government, legislature, or bureaucracy and there many countries which are much worse than us. Even so, the representation of women in Nepal’s diplomatic service reflects gross general gender imbalance at all levels of government.

In contrast, there are more women ambassadors in Nepal today than ever before. Five countries are represented in Kathmandu by female ambassadors: Denmark, Bangladesh, the European Union, France, and Thailand. In addition, the Nepal representatives of UNICEF and UNDP are also women. Yet, despite their influence and seniority, the women envoys admit to facing gender stereotyping in their careers.

“People are diplomatic and there are ways of expressing discrimination without saying it in words. If a woman is successful, it’s regarded as an accident and not because you are qualified for it,” explains Mashfee Binte Shams, the new Bangladesh ambassador to Nepal.

Leadership is seemingly associated with masculine expectations so when a women is seen to take charge, there are more than a few eyebrows raised. France’s ambassador, Martine Bassereau, says that even in Europe it is a challenge for career women to prove that they are equal.

“Women are expected to prove themselves permanently without losing their feminine touch, their humanity, their elegance as well as entertain with panache,” Bassereau told us. “Some people still believe that men are able to do the job better even if the women may have the same diploma and the same experience.”

While there is proof that women in the workforce tend to be more productive, the movement to increase more gender diversity has flat-lined. Even in industrialised countries, women may enter the workforce in similar proportions to men, but the numbers decrease substantially as they move up the career ladder. Only 25 per cent of the EU’s ambassadorial positions abroad are filled by women.

Says Rensje Teerink, Head of the European Union delegation to Nepal: “The big challenge is still senior management positions. Women are very much under-represented in the European external service as far as managerial positions as well as head of positions are concerned.”

Still, a quarter of European ambassadors being female is much better than Nepal which doesn’t have a single woman ambassador at the moment. The deplorable representation of women in Nepal’s diplomatic service can be linked to cultural and structural barriers.

On the other hand, Nordic countries fare far better than their counterparts mostly due to the implementation of social welfare policies, including one of the most generous and flexible parental leave system in the EU, which allows women to further their professional careers while balancing their family life.

“In Denmark, there is no legal discrimination and no salary difference. Both spouses juggle work and family life together and responsibilities of parents are accepted in the workplace, creating a balance,” says Kirsten Geelan, the Danish ambassador to Nepal.

To promote more women into leadership roles, organisations such as UNICEF and the EU in Nepal practice affirmative action in hiring women instead of men in cases when they are on par. The positive discrimination is seen as unfair by some, but the priority is to balance out the numbers first.

“Much more needs to be done in Nepal, specifically in leadership positions. There has to be a supportive environment for their development and promotion especially during motherhood,” says Hanaa Singer, UNICEF representative in Nepal.

Furthermore, organisations such as the UNDP have started a mentoring program for mid- career female staff.

“Our headquarters also monitors the gender parity of each office on a regular basis. To recruit qualified women is important, but to retain them is equally challenging. This requires efforts of the entire office to create an enabling working environment,” says Shoko Noda, country director of the UNDP in Nepal.

When Thai ambassador, Kanthong Unakul, first arrived in Nepal in 2012, the only other female ambassador was the Australian envoy, Susan Grace. She says she is glad there are now seven women ambassadors and heads of missions.

However, the host country is falling way behind. Unless mechanisms for gender parity are put into place, Nepal’s female representation in the international arena will continue to be skewed.