In Nepal, the sad reality is that we live in a patriarchal world where the male gender is the standard even today. Men still continue to dominate women in all sectors be it social, economic, cultural or political. The society forgets that a woman is stronger in conviction and dedication. They minimize her role and capability.

The word woman carries a significant meaning. Woman, is the ultimate epitome of love, beauty, kindness, wisdom and power. She is a vital part of our societies and families as she plays myriad roles such as of a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife and a companion. She is the one who gives life to every human being, the sole reason behind the existence of humankind. She is the creator, the backbone of everything .She is glorified in all religions. She is also portrayed as goddesses in Eastern philosophy. Without her, our lives can be very much unimaginable. At the same time, she is tortured, assaulted, beaten and her rights have been violated again and again. She is helpless and defeated most of the time. Women have to go through a lot of hardship, injustice and discrimination. And in addition to all this, they are also the silent sufferers to physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

This just makes me wonder about the whole existence and circumstance of women in my society. I am a woman, a woman of a small, developing south Asian country Nepal. Fortunately, I am an educated woman that is why I am able to pursue my dreams. Education is the reason why I have dared to speak out and move ahead with my career goals in life. I have realized that I want to be somebody and do something. But there are a lot of women in my country and I am some how doubtful about their lives and dreams because most of them are denied education, skills and opportunities to reach their full potential. Culture also plays as a barrier in most of their cases for it takes an ample amount of courage and determination to break the socio cultural misconceptions. I hear about fearful incidents happening on and off in the lives of Nepali woman such as rape, domestic violence, trafficking, child marriage and rural women being assaulted as witches.

The scenario of gender equality and equity is in a critical state even though Nepal has made various polices, ratified international conventions like CEDAW and its optional protocol. The laws, if we see are good but the problem is in the implementation. In most of the cases, laws have been merely limited to just black letters.

I believe that until and unless, we change the mindset we are no where near the equal, just society. It is essential for women to believe in themselves and their potentials. Also, both men and women should act together and the society should respect everyone’s rights. No doubt that the situation today is improving and I hope it will get even better.