Vulnerable Victims or Agents of Change? A qualitative content analysis on the representation of women in Nepal's National Adaptation Plan

Abstract: Climate adaptation policies in Nepal have previously depicted women as vulnerable victims. Policy-makers have described women as a weak and voiceless group that needs “saving” in environmental politics. Several studies have emphasized that these simplistic representations perpetuate gender stereotypes and omit proactive roles in climate action. Recent developments in feminist academia recognize the increasing need of conceptualizing women as positive agents of change. This has led to renewed interest in how women are represented in contemporary adaptation policy. This thesis applies a feminist constructivist lens to explore the dominant frames of women in climate change represented in Nepal's updated National Adaptation Plan. Through qualitative content analysis, the study analyzes the National Adaptation Plan and its accompanying documents and uncovers five dominant frames. Findings reveal that women have separately been described as agents, vulnerable, caregivers, knowledgeable, and left behind. The results indicate that women's representation in Nepal's adaptation policy is more multifaceted than previously assumed by scholars. The study advances our understanding of how the dominant frames increase individual agency and simultaneously amplify gender-based expectations regarding passivity, victimhood, and nurture.