Forestry Experiences and Feminist Institutionalism

Abstract

This chapter provides insights into the experiences of forestry workers within the framework of Feminist Institutionalism (FI). First, a brief review of the methods for collecting and analysing data is offered. In the second section, the ‘inclusion of women’ in forest bureaucracy is reconceptualized through perceptual data from interviews. In the third section, the organizational culture of the forest bureaucracy in Nepal is described under seven subheadings In the fourth section, Nepal’s forest bureaucracy is examined through the aspects of formal and informal institutions that support or hinder the inclusion of women in forestry organizations. The fifth section of this chapter presents the concept of structure and agency in forest bureaucracy, examined through the perspectives of the research participants. Next, the dynamics of power relations between male and female employees as ‘gender actors’ in Nepal’s forest bureaucracy are explored. In the subsequent section, some reflections based on observations, recorded in a daily journal during fieldwork, are briefly presented as a supplement to ideas generated from interviews and focus group discussions. Finally, the chapter is concluded with a summary of key points.