Young women from various fields have emphasised the need of grooming women right from the grassroots level to increase the number of women in politics.  

They suggested that there should be a provision to ensure 50 percent women

participation at all grassroots bodies of political organisations.

“Politics is a man’s field. Look at the top leaders in all the major parties, the number of female ministers we have had and the young politicians. Women are very few.

For women to succeed in the field of politics, the state must groom and promote women at the grassroots level,” said reproductive  health specialist Srijana Bajracharya at a programme in Kathmandu on Wednesday. More women at the policy and decision making level will help address the issues of women correctly, Bajracharya added.

The speakers at the programme said the effort made by the government to ensure women participation in all state bodies by reserving 33 percent seats for women alone will alone not suffice.

Women rights activist Uma Thapa said women do not land top political posts because patriarchal structure and thinking still dominate the country’s politics.

“To end this system it is important to have equal number of male and female representatives at the local elected bodies,” Thapa said.