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🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

As Nepali women’s choices expand, marriage becomes an option

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • In Nepal, a growing number of women are questioning the necessity of marriage due to increased education, employment, and financial independence.
  • While the percentage of unmarried women over 35 remains small, it has risen, signaling a shift from marriage being a compulsion to a choice.
  • Women are increasingly prioritizing financial and emotional independence, challenging traditional expectations of sacrifice within marriage.

Reema Bhusal, 29, finds herself contemplating a future without marriage, a question unimaginable for previous generations of Nepali women. Traditionally, marriage to a 'good man' is a cornerstone of a woman's life in Nepal, signifying stability and respectability. However, a quiet revolution is underway, with more women challenging the notion that marriage is an absolute necessity.

It felt as unquestionable as the sun rising in the east. It wasn't a question of whether I wanted it, but rather how I would go about it.

— Reema BhusalBhusal describes her past unquestioning acceptance of marriage as an inevitable life event.

The 2021 census reveals a slight but significant increase in women over 35 remaining unmarried by choice, rising to 0.7 percent from almost none in 1961. This trend mirrors shifts seen in places like South Korea, where the 'bihon' movement rejects the societal pressure on women to marry, bear children, and manage domestic labor.

For me, financial independence and emotional independence eventually made it possible to imagine a different future.

— Reema BhusalBhusal explains how her personal growth enabled her to envision a life outside traditional marital roles.

Bhusal's own journey reflects this change. Initially accepting marriage as an inevitability, a failed relationship prompted her to question its fundamental value. She began to see marriage as an unequal institution, often demanding greater sacrifice from women, a view reinforced by reports of domestic violence and ingrained inequalities. "For me, financial independence and emotional independence eventually made it possible to imagine a different future," she stated.

The idea that you should marry and have children so that they can take care of you later feels deeply self-serving to me. If that is the primary motivation for bringing life into the world, then I don't think it's a fair or honest one.

— Reema BhusalBhusal challenges the common rationale for marriage and parenthood, emphasizing honesty and fairness.

Furthermore, Bhusal dismisses the common justification for marriage – avoiding loneliness in old age. She finds the idea of procreation solely for future care to be "deeply self-serving." Now, she is comfortable with the possibility of never marrying, though she acknowledges the pull of family expectations and societal pressures.

genuinely comfortable with the possibility

— Reema BhusalBhusal expresses her current state of mind regarding the prospect of remaining unmarried.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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