Rethinking leadership through the eyes of Nepal's young generation
- Rose Ung
- Aug 29, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 19, 2025
There’s a lot of conversation right now about Gen Z and their relationship with leadership. The common story suggests that this generation is rejecting traditional leadership roles, avoiding the corporate ladder, and prioritising personal life over career ambition.
But what if this isn’t rejection? What if it’s a redefinition of leadership, through a violent demonstration of a silenced call for change that for too long has fallen on deaf ears? What if
it reflects the deep inequality between the haves and the have-nots, and the systemic desperation of a future shaped by limited opportunities and rising pessimism?
This frustration is further fuelled by a comparison culture, where wealth and privilege are paraded online to the very masses who live on the edge of poverty and despair.
What we are witnessing in Nepal is the extreme and violent truth of a whole generation driven to desperate, even extremist, actions. This is their reality. It is what Nepal’s young people are living through right now.
Nepal and what went wrong
Nepal's is a youthful nation where nearly one-third of the 26.9million population is under 15, and a large portion belongs to Generation Z. The country's economic growth is modest, limited by its landlocked position in South Asia. Situated between India to the south, east, and west, and China to the north, Nepal is characterised by its mountainous terrain, including the Himalayas, with Mount Everest located on the border.
Despite this demographic vitality, the country encounters significant challenges. The economy has a modest per capita income of roughly US $1,460. Although poverty has decreased to around 10.8%, inequality and limited opportunities remain pronounced.
Nepal reached its highest score on the World Happiness Index in 2023, with an average life evaluation of around 5.47 out of 10, ranking 84th globally (comparatively, Australia's score was 7.16 out of 10, ranking the country 12th globally in overall happiness).
The high score reflected a sense of stability after the pandemic, strong community ties, and the resilience of a people used to enduring hardship. But this peak was short-lived. By 2024, the score had already slipped, as young people faced shrinking job opportunities, rising living costs, and growing disillusionment with political corruption.
What seemed like progress was undermined by deep systemic cracks from prolonged inequality, limited economic mobility, and a comparison culture fueled by social media, where the wealth and privilege of elites were flaunted against the reality of daily struggle. The “happiest” moment became the calm before the storm, as those unresolved frustrations erupted into the violent protests of 2025.
In September 2025, Nepal erupted in widespread Gen Z-led protests sparked by the government’s sudden ban of 26 social media platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. The social media blackout was seen not just as censorship, but as a tipping point in a long-standing frustration over corruption, nepotism (including the public display of privilege by political elites and their families), limited economic opportunity for young people, and growing inequality.
The protests escalated quickly. An interim government was installed under Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first female Prime Minister, with new elections scheduled.
The New Leadership Paradigm in Nepal
The appointment of Sushila Karki as Nepal’s first female Prime Minister in September 2025 represents a profound shift in how leadership is being redefined in the country. Her rise came not through a traditional path of party power or elite networks, but in direct response to a youth-led uprising that demanded authenticity, fairness, and accountability.
This is a historic moment for Nepal; the country's first female interim leader has just been sworn in. And what's striking is how she was chosen, not through backroom party deals, but by an online vote on the social platform Discord, where the Gen Z movement has been organized ever since the protest began.
Karki built her reputation as the first female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court and embodies the kind of leadership young people are calling for: principled, transparent, and grounded in integrity rather than rhetoric. Her temporary tenure underscores that leadership is about restoring trust and creating space for the future to be reimagined.
What does this mean for us?
Globally, this mirrors a wider generational trend. Karki’s appointment as interim leader isn’t just political repair work; it’s a signal that a new generation will no longer tolerate outdated models of leadership. They want leaders who are authentic, empathetic, and grounded in integrity.
Contrast this with Australia, where change has been quieter but no less real. Gen Z here may not be taking to the streets, but they are still walking away from old paradigms. Surveys show fewer young Australians aspire to climb the corporate ladder; instead, they want work that aligns with their values, prioritizes well-being, and creates space for balance. For them, leadership isn’t about hierarchy or titles. It’s about influence, connection, and impact.
Both stories point to the truth that Gen Z is defining leadership. In Nepal, the call came through crisis and confrontation, and in Australia, it’s emerging through choice and cultural shift. In both cases, young people are rejecting models of dominance and burnout and calling for leadership that reflects authenticity, compassion, and a deeper sense of purpose.
Young people aren’t rejecting leadership itself; they’re rejecting outdated models of dominance, political theatre, and burnout. Instead, they are demanding leaders who align with their values, demonstrate empathy, and create platforms for meaningful change.
Nepal’s crisis may have been born from despair, but it is also a reminder that when a new generation insists on redefining leadership, the world must listen.
Comments