At the recent CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League, the Nepali women’s team captured national attention when they beat the mighty Indian team, by three sets to two. After a tumultuous subsequent journey, including the bitter first loss to Iran 2-3, a victory over the Maldives 3-0, and another win over Iran in straight sets, Nepal reached the finals to face India again. Our women fought valiantly, but unfortunately, they couldn’t win the trophy. Their performance, nonetheless, has certainly raised the visibility of women’s sports in Nepal.

Over the years, more and more Nepali women have ventured into the world of sports, be it football, cricket, or volleyball. And they are not just participating; they are excelling. The Nepali women’s football team is a case in point. In the FIFA World rankings, they stand in the 101st position, which is way higher than the Nepali men team’s ranking of 175.

But then, patriarchal mindsets still drag them down. In Nepal’s case, exceptions aside, women’s athletes and players barely get noticed unless they do exceptionally well. Apparently, many people aren’t as fond of women’s sports as they are of men’s. This stems from the belief that women are unsporty and less competitive compared to men. This is where the problem lies, as it not only discourages young girls and women but also impedes policymakers from introducing women-friendly sports policies.

Moreover, many of our policies and provisions are far from conducive to upskilling them. Nepal, for instance, has no women’s football league. Nor do we have a professional setup, as the women’s national football team relies on teams from security forces, including Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army. This does not make sense. Sports analysts see greater prospects of Nepali women qualifying for top international events like women’s cricket and football world cups compared to men—but only if they get a level playing field, proper training and enough top-notch match practice.

There is also great disparity in terms of pay. Earlier this year, the Cricket Association of Nepal announced the players’ salary contracts, in which a significant payscale difference is evident: While the Grade A male cricketer will receive Rs100,000 a month, a female cricketer of the same grade will get only Rs50,000. Such a glaring gap will greatly discourage our girls from taking up sports of any kind. When it comes to unequal pay in sports, many jump to the conclusion that men participate in more tournaments and spend more of their time playing, so they deserve to earn more. However, they don’t consider if women are being given the same kind of opportunities in terms of resources and high-level match practice.

Nepali women deserve every facility and perk that is being extended to their male counterparts. There have been some encouraging developments too. For instance, the initiative of the All Nepal Football Association to pay men and women footballers equally starting 2020 is laudable, as this will encourage more young girls to take up football. As Nepali women have soared to new heights in sports in the past few years, even with the limited resources at their disposal, it is the state’s responsibility to invest in them. On current evidence, they will then bring a lot of sporting glory to their homeland.