Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract

We present on issues of gender division and representation in Nepal’s latest Gen-Z movement, including the lack of socio-political accountability within the community regarding women in politics, by presenting results of interviews with women Gen-Z leaders and qualitative social media analysis.

Paper long abstract

We will present on issues of gender division and representation in Nepal’s latest Gen-Z movement, including the lack of socio-political accountability within the community regarding women in politics. On September 8, 2025, Nepal witnessed an uprising by “Gen-Z” on the streets, triggered by a social media ban where 72 people lost their lives, the government was toppled, leading to elect the new Prime Minister of Nepal. This protest was also in response to various social and political crises in Nepal, including ongoing corruption. Within this movement, various male leaders have emerged as the organizers and the taken major roles in the movement; however, we see less female representation, while there were many female voices who were actively organizing this movement (Dahal, R. D., 2024; Baniya, 2024). Siera Tamang (2009) argued that to understand women’s politics in Nepal, we need to understand political history and the depiction of women and their agency. Building upon this, we will present the results of our questions (a) how social movements continue to repeat the exclusionary practices in Nepal, and (b) how women and LGBTQIA+ voices during such movements get suppressed. To answer these questions, we chose two methodological approaches: narrative inquiry with women leaders and the participants of the Gen-Z movement (Ethics review pending), and (b) analysis of the social media comments on the posts made by various female leaders. We have invited one of the Gen-Z women leaders as the respondent of our panel.