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Women and Constitution Making


Women have been very active in many countries in the process of building a new Constitution. They have prepared Women's Charters in some countries (see the section of this website on that topic by clicking here). They have made submissions to Constituent Assemblies and Constitution Commissions.

So what should women in Nepal do about the process of making a new Constitution? That is of course a matter for Nepalese women themselves. There are various stages to this process, and the strategies of women will depend on the situation at each stage.

Stage 1 – before the Constituent Assembly meets:
  • Lobby for proper representation – this can be by seeking to get women's representation secured by law, or by lobbying political parties to ensure that they have enough women candidates – and candidates in positions in which they can win. See also the section of this website on Increasing political participation.
  • Learning about constitutions, and educating each other, especially on what a constitution can do for women
  • Educating women about how to exercise their vote in the elections for the Constituent Assembly
  • Exercising their own vote in a way that strengthens women's participation (if this is possible under the system adopted)
  • Preparing documents and strategies in advance of the Constituent Assembly

Stage 2 – During the Constituent Assembly

Support the women members of the Constituent Assembly and other members who support women's issues, by:
  • befriending them
  • arranging for assistance with their family responsibilities so that they can play a full part in the Assembly
  • supplying them with materials to support the arguments on women's issues
  • if you have the necessary connections, ensure that women's issues are well covered in the media
  • lobby political parties to permit women to work together across party lines

You might be interested to see some submissions prepared by women in other countries for on women and the Constitution. You will find here:
Memorandum Submitted to the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission by the Women's Political Alliance (2002)
Recommendations by the Woman of Uganda to the Constitutional Commission (1991); this is a long document and has been divided into 4 parts for this website. Please click for Part I, Part 2, Part 3 or Part 4.

In 1997 the Kenya chapter of FIDA (International Federation of Women Lawyers) prepared an annual report on the Legal Status of Kenyan Women. Here you will find an extract from this: What women want: Recommendations to enhance the Status of Women's Human Rights in Kenya.

There is also a document prepared for members of the Kenya Constituent Assembly (known as the National Constitutional Conference). In the case of Kenya there was a draft constitution prepared by the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission which was the basis for discussion in the National Constitutional Conference. The document is called Safeguarding Women's Gains under the Draft Constitution: Parliamentarian Handbook. [it will be uploaded later]

And you might also be interested to read about the experience of women and constitution making. You will find here an article by the Hon M.R.K. Matembe, "Women and Constitution Making in Uganda" (presented at a seminar organized by the Kenyan Commission in 2001). This paper has been divided into three sections; please click for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

And there is an article about women and constitution making in Zimbabwe on the website Siyanda (described as "an on-line database of gender and development materials from around the world. It is also an interactive space where gender practitioners can share ideas, experiences and resources". The particular article is by Janah Ncube, "The Women's Movement in the Zimbabwe Constitutional Debate: the continuous journey to a gender fair Constitution".

Finally - in the journal Critical Half: Bi-Annual Journal of Women for Women International, there is a special issue called "Gender and Constitution Building: From Paper to Practice" which has articles on women and constitution making in various countries including Afghanistan, Bougainville (part of Papua New Guinea), Iraq, South Africa and Uganda. The whole issue is on the internet – click here).
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