On being a woman in tech in Nepal

When I started working in tech in Nepal, I didn’t think much about being a woman in the industry. I was focused on learning, on doing the work well, on building something I could be proud of.

Over time, I started noticing things. How few women were in certain rooms. How certain contributions were seen and others weren’t. How much energy it takes to be visible in a space that wasn’t entirely built with you in mind.

This is a reflection on that — not a complaint, but an honest account.

What the community gave me

The WordPress community changed things for me. In a room full of people who had built their careers on an open-source project that anyone could contribute to, the floor felt more level.

I found people who evaluated your contributions on their merits. Who made space in conversations. Who invited you to speak, to lead, to organize — not as a token, but because they genuinely wanted what you had to offer.

That’s not universal in tech. But it was true enough in the communities I found, and it made a difference.

On visibility

There’s a particular challenge for women in technical fields: being visible enough to be taken seriously, without being visible in ways that feel uncomfortable or reductive.

I’ve learned to navigate this mostly by staying focused on the work. When your output speaks clearly, the other noise gets quieter. That’s not always fair — and I say that clearly — but it’s practical.

Making space

The thing about finding a community that made room for you is that it creates a responsibility to do the same.

I try to do this in the ways available to me: encouraging women to speak at WordCamps, mentoring people who are earlier in their careers, being visible in my own work in ways that show what’s possible.

Not because I feel obligated. Because I remember what it meant when someone did it for me.

What I’d say to someone starting out

The industry isn’t equally welcoming to everyone, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help. But there are communities within it — and people within those communities — who will see what you’re capable of and want you to do more of it.

Find those people. Build those communities. And when you’re further along, be that person for someone else.