Women's Participation in community-based forest management: A Case Study of Shaktikhor Samudayik Forest User Group, Chitwan, Nepal

Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) has emerged as a dominant paradigm for sustainable forest governance in developing countries, with Nepal recognized as a global leader. Despite impressive coverage-38.5% of Nepal's forest area managed by over 3.8 million households-gender equity within CBFM remains elusive. This study examines women's participation in the Shaktikhor Samudayik Forest User Group (SSFUG) in Chitwan district, using a mixed-methods design. A sample of 250 households (200 women, 50 men) was selected through stratified random sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Findings reveal a significant gap between women's high participation in forest resource collection (mean=4.12-4.45 on a 5-point scale) and low participation in governance activities (mean=1.28-2.10). Female literacy is 64%, with a mean education of 4.8 years. Women work 13.7 hours daily on household tasks versus 6.2 hours for men. Correlation analysis shows a strong negative relationship between household workload and participation (r=0.612, p<0.01) and positive relationships with education (r-0.543) and empowerment (r=0.487). Regression analysis indicates that education ( =0.342, p<0.001), household workload ( =0.298, p=0.001) and empowerment ( =0.287, p=0.001) explain 47.6% of the variance in women's participation (R2= 1.476, F=28.34, p<0.001). Only 13.33% of executive committee members are women, far below the mandatory 50%. Barriers include traditional male-dominated culture (mean=4.56), household workload (4.48), and illiteracy (4.23). The study concludes that CBFM policies must move beyond token quotas to address structural barriers through education, workload reduction, and skill-based empowerment. Ten actionable implications are provided for policy reform.