Why Women Should Lead Nepal’s Recovery

4 minute read
Ideas
Ravi Kumar is the co-founder of Code for Nepal, an initiative working to increase digital literacy and use of open data in Nepal.

On April 25 and May 12, Nepal was hit by devastating earthquakes. As of June 8, there have been more than 8,700 deaths, and more than 22,000 injuries, according to government data. More than 775,000 homes have been destroyed or partially damaged. Those involved in the relief and recovery process have shown tremendous conviction to help Nepal rebuild. But Nepal’s deeply entrenched patriarchal and its unfair culture toward women will likely continue to complicate efforts to help the country recover.

As a Nepalese citizen and co-founder of a company that is using open data to help with the recovery efforts, it’s clear that one way to minimize the potential damage would be to ensure women are leading the reconstruction process.

While women leaders, such as Pushpa Basnet, are actively involved in the relief process, there aren’t enough. BibekSheel Nepali, a new political party in Nepal that deserves praise for pro-actively helping in the relief process, does not have any women in its leadership team.

Women have lost the most in the recent earthquakes—More than 55% of the deaths as of June 3 were women. Sadly, this is not surprising: Studies have shown that women are more likely to be killed in natural disasters than men.

But they also have the most to lose as the country reforms and recovers. Nepal remains a patriarchal country and has traditionally been one of the worst in the world for gender equality. Nepal ranked 112 out of 142 in the Gender Gap Index 2014, according to the World Economic Forum. The earthquake has only made the situation worse: Reports show how women and young girls face a range of increased risks—from gender-based violence to sex trafficking.

There are many reasons why Nepal would be wise to look to women leaders to best help the about 800,000 survivors of this disaster (the majority of whom are women, children and the elderly).

Women often make better leaders in times of crisis. Bangladesh offers a fine example: After a cyclone in 2007, the country looked to women to distribute aid, which helped the country recover. Research shows that when there are more women leaders, there is less corruption, which could prove useful now in Nepal, when there is so much concern about the misuse of international aid.

Women may also have a better pulse on how to work within communities. They often not only know the critical needs of their families, but also of their neighbors’ families. As a son of the mother who, though illiterate herself, always helped me go to school, I know women often put others’ needs ahead of their own. These traits could be useful during this extraordinary crisis.

Taking leadership roles in the recovery may also help women improve their position in the country.

James Nachtwey’s Dispatches From Nepal - Part 2

Nepal earthquake. Gumda Village, in Ghorka district. 5 people died and 14 are still missing in landslides. Inhabitants salvaging building materials from their destroyed houses. Funeral of Rejina Gurung, 3 who was just discovered buried in the rubble. Her mother, Bishnu Gurung, weeping in mourning. Rejina's father, Chabilal Gurung is a guest worker in Malaysia. by James Nachtwey
Bishnu Gurung sobs after her 3-year-old daughter, Rejina Gurung, was found buried in the rubble in the village of Gumda in Gorkha district, near the epicenter of last month's Nepal earthquake, on May 8, 2015. The baby’s father is a guest worker in Malaysia. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Gumda Village, in Ghorka district. 5 people died and 14 are still missing in landslides. Inhabitants salvaging building materials from their destroyed houses. Funeral of Rejina Gurung, 3 who was just discovered buried in the rubble. Her mother, Bishnu Gurung, weeping in mourning. Rejina's father, Chabilal Gurung is a guest worker in Malaysia. by James Nachtwey
Bishnu Gurung weeps at the funeral of her 3-year-old daughter who was discovered buried in rubble in Gumda, a village in Nepal’s Gorkha district, May 8, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Gumda Village, in Ghorka district. 5 people died and 14 are still missing in landslides. Inhabitants salvaging building materials from their destroyed houses. Funeral of Rejina Gurung, 3 who was just discovered buried in the rubble. Her mother, Bishnu Gurung, weeping in mourning. Rejina's father, Chabilal Gurung is a guest worker in Malaysia. by James Nachtwey
Inhabitants salvage building materials from their destroyed homes in Gumda Village, near the epicenter of the earthquake in Gorkha district, where five people died and 14 are still missing in landslides, May 8, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Gumda Village, in Ghorka district. 5 people died and 14 are still missing in landslides. Inhabitants salvaging building materials from their destroyed houses. Funeral of Rejina Gurung, 3 who was just discovered buried in the rubble. Her mother, Bishnu Gurung, weeping in mourning. Rejina's father, Chabilal Gurung is a guest worker in Malaysia. by James Nachtwey
A villager salvages building supplies in Gumda, in the Gorkha district of Nepal, May 8, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Young Buddhist monks from Hinang Gompa (monastery) in the village of Lhi in Gorkha district in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas were transported by Indian Army helicopter to Pokhara because the monastery was damaged in the earthquake. A boy was injured in the mountain village of Dhunchet and with his father was evacuated  by Indian Army helicopter. Mountain villages outside Pokhara that were destroyed. Food drops by Indian Army helicopters.  by James Nachtwey
A boy who was injured in the mountain village of Dhunchet sits with his father after being evacuated by an Indian army helicopter, May 3, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Young Buddhist monks from Hinang Gompa (monastery) in the village of Lhi in Gorkha district in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas were transported by Indian Army helicopter to Pokhara because the monastery was damaged in the earthquake. A boy was injured in the mountain village of Dhunchet and with his father was evacuated  by Indian Army helicopter. Mountain villages outside Pokhara that were destroyed. Food drops by Indian Army helicopters.  by James Nachtwey
An injured boy and his father are evacuated by the Indian army from a remote Himalayan village, May 3, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Young Buddhist monks from Hinang Gompa (monastery) in the village of Lhi in Gorkha district in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas were transported by Indian Army helicopter to Pokhara because the monastery was damaged in the earthquake. A boy was injured in the mountain village of Dhunchet and with his father was evacuated  by Indian Army helicopter. Mountain villages outside Pokhara that were destroyed. Food drops by Indian Army helicopters.  by James Nachtwey
View from the window of a helicopter during relief operations to remote mountain villages in Nepal, May 2, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Young Buddhist monks from Hinang Gompa (monastery) in the village of Lhi in Gorkha district in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas were transported by Indian Army helicopter to Pokhara because the monastery was damaged in the earthquake. A boy was injured in the mountain village of Dhunchet and with his father was evacuated  by Indian Army helicopter. Mountain villages outside Pokhara that were destroyed. Food drops by Indian Army helicopters.  by James Nachtwey
The Indian army evacuates monks from the Hinang Gompa monastery in Lhi, a village in the Gorkha district, in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas, May 2, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Young Buddhist monks from Hinang Gompa (monastery) in the village of Lhi in Gorkha district in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas were transported by Indian Army helicopter to Pokhara because the monastery was damaged in the earthquake. A boy was injured in the mountain village of Dhunchet and with his father was evacuated  by Indian Army helicopter. Mountain villages outside Pokhara that were destroyed. Food drops by Indian Army helicopters.  by James Nachtwey
Young Buddhist monks gaze out of a helicopter as they are evacuated by the Indian army from a monastery in the Himalayas, May 2, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Inhabitants salvaging building materials and possessions from their destroyed houses. by James Nachtwey
In Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake, inhabitants sift through the wreckage looking for possessions from their destroyed houses, May 6, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Funeral of Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who had just been dug out of the rubble. Saainli Gurung, his mother weeping. Scenes of villagers salvaging building materials and personal possessions. Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his wite, salvaging buildings materials and possessions from his house. by James Nachtwey
Villagers look through rubble in Barpak, Nepal, May 5, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Funeral of Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who had just been dug out of the rubble. Saainli Gurung, his mother weeping. Scenes of villagers salvaging building materials and personal possessions. Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his wite, salvaging buildings materials and possessions from his house. by James Nachtwey
A villager stands among the ruins of the destroyed houses in Barpak, Nepal, May 6, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Funeral of Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who had just been dug out of the rubble. Saainli Gurung, his mother weeping. Scenes of villagers salvaging building materials and personal possessions. Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his wite, salvaging buildings materials and possessions from his house. by James Nachtwey
Saainli Gurung weeps during the funeral of her son, Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who was found in the rubble in Barpak, Nepal, May 5, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Funeral of Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who had just been dug out of the rubble. Saainli Gurung, his mother weeping. Scenes of villagers salvaging building materials and personal possessions. Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his wite, salvaging buildings materials and possessions from his house. by James Nachtwey
Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his mother, looks for possessions from his house in Barpak, Nepal, May 5, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Funeral of Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who had just been dug out of the rubble. Saainli Gurung, his mother weeping. Scenes of villagers salvaging building materials and personal possessions. Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his wite, salvaging buildings materials and possessions from his house. by James Nachtwey
At the epicenter of the quake in Barpak, Nepal, where homes once stood, stones and wooden frames were all that remained. May 6, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Funeral of Pur Bahadur Gurung, 26, who had just been dug out of the rubble. Saainli Gurung, his mother weeping. Scenes of villagers salvaging building materials and personal possessions. Dhan Raj Ghale, 30, dressed in mourning garb after the death of his wite, salvaging buildings materials and possessions from his house. by James Nachtwey
A man lifts debris from a flattened structure in Barpak, Nepal, May 6, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Barpak, the epicenter of the earthquake. Inhabitants salvaging building materials and possessions from their destroyed houses. by James Nachtwey
A woman stands among the wreckage in Barpak, Nepal, May 6, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME
Nepal earthquake. Gumda Village, in Ghorka district. 5 people died and 14 are still missing in landslides. Inhabitants salvaging building materials from their destroyed houses. Funeral of Rejina Gurung, 3 who was just discovered buried in the rubble. Her mother, Bishnu Gurung, weeping in mourning. Rejina's father, Chabilal Gurung is a guest worker in Malaysia. by James Nachtwey
A woman walks in the remote village of Gumda in Ghorka district, Nepal, May 8, 2015. James Nachtwey for TIME

In his best-selling work, famous researcher Geert Hofstede argued that we carry “mental programs.” These mental programs, which are developed based on our interactions with our family and society as we grow up, allow us to be comfortable with social structures such as existing hierarchy and paternalism, and internalize them.

Nepalis are deferential people. If they continue to follow their “mental programs,” then it will likely exacerbate inequality and injustice. That is why we must ignore patriarchy and forget the way we treated each other in the past. During this time of crisis, there have been many who have ignored traditional norms to help each other—but more must be done.

There is rise in a “can-do” spirit among Nepalis and much talk about shaking the status quo. There can be no better way of rebuilding a robust Nepal than ensuring that the majority of Nepal’s population are represented as empowered partners. This is especially important now, as political leaders work to draft a new constitution. There are concerns that women won’t have equal citizenship rights, specifically they won’t be able to pass Nepali citizenship on to their children.

The task of revamping Nepal is long overdue. Now rebuilding is also urgent: This disaster cost Nepal about 50% of its GDP and at least one out of every 3,000 citizens. Women leadership will help sustain the newly found can-do spirit.

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