Reservation for Janajati in Nepal’s Civil Service: Analysis from Intersectional Lens

Abstract

Nepal promulgated affirmative action or reservation policies for women, indigenous nationalities, and other groups to increase representation in the Civil Service. The reservation policy was made based on the assumption of Janajati (ethnic) as a unitary entity. Not all Janajati groups are the same economic, political, and social conditions. There are no government studies relating to under-representation and over-representation in Civil Service within Janajati groups. In this context, this paper provides answers to questions about which Janajati groups benefited more from the reservation policies in Civil Service. Is there a male creamy layer or a female creamy layer? Moreover, what is the situation of representation of Janajati based on the categorization of the Nepal government? This paper explores the representation of the Janajati in Civil Service after the implementation of the reservation policy. The paper argues that the provision of the reservation is more favorable for the advantaged Janajati group than the most marginalized Janajati group. Similarly, it is more favorable for male Janajati than female Janajati within the same group, thereby potentially reproducing social inequality within the Janjati in Nepal