White Sari—Transforming Widowhood in Nepal

Abstract

Before the People's War (1996) in Nepal, widows were not allowed to wear anything other than the white sari, especially in Hindu families. It was a common practice even among highly educated women. Widows were considered impure and carriers of bad luck as a result of which they were excluded from public events, such as weddings and religious ceremonies. This belief system was deeply entrenched in the history of the country spanning thousands of years. However, when hundreds of women became widows during the People's War in Nepal, they started organizing themselves and resisting the discriminatory practice of the white sari. This article explores how widows of Nepal subverted thousands of years of this oppressive practice. It also examines the challenges that they faced in the era of the white sari and the citizenship benefits that they have achieved after liberating themselves from the shroud of widowhood.

Female Headship and Women’s Work in Nepal

“…In Nepal, de jure headship may not be attributed solely to the conflict due to the lack of data to confirm such speculation. Anecdotal evidence does emerge, however, that indicates a greater presence of de jure female headship, especially widow headship, in the post-conflict period (Yadav 2016;Menon and Rodgers 2015).…”

“…She notes their limited access to land and inheritance and their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation if perceived to be without 'male protection.' More recently, Yadav (2016) explores changes in the cultural practices surrounding widowhood in Nepal, in the period after the Maoist conflict. While Galvin (2006) and Yadav (2016) explore cultural norms around widowhood and their subversion, Ramnarain (2016) uses ethnographic data to examine the post-conflict economic circumstances of widow household heads in Nepal, and the processes by which they mediated social institutions and patriarchal norms in their everyday struggles for survival.…”

Disasters: Core Concepts and Ethical Theories

“…However, following an armed conflict lasting from 1996 to 2006 and causing over 15,000 deaths, many women became widows. During the post-conflict era, widows challenged the centuries-old entrenched belief system surrounding the status of women and resisted the practice of the 'white sari' (Yadav 2016). Here the complexity of a disaster is witnessed.…”

Resilience Among Nepali Widows After the Death of a Spouse: “That Was My Past and Now I Have to See My Present”

“…An estimated 4.6% (218,040) of women of reproductive age are currently widowed (The Loomba Foundation, 2015). Young Nepali widows in particular have reported experiencing discrimination, stigma, and social restrictions on behaviors, remarriage, and sexual activity as a result of cultural beliefs placing blame on widows for their spouses' deaths (Haviland et al, 2014;The Loomba Foundation, 2015;Sabri et al, 2016;Surkan et al, 2015;Yadav, 2016). Widows are not to resume sexual relations or remarry according to Hindu traditions, based on the fear that widows' sexuality poses a threat to existing social structures (L. Bennett, 1983).…”

“…As a result, widows' social interactions and reproductive health practices are often under the surveillance of and restricted by family and community members (Sabri et al, 2016). Other cultural practices also serve to constrain widows' lives, including social restrictions on wearing colorful fabrics, participating in rituals or festivals, and interacting with family members (L. Bennett, 1983;Yadav, 2016). The Sati System, which refers to the burning alive of widows on the husband's funeral pyre, once took place in Nepal (Yadav, 2016).…”