Role of Women in local governance for the Development of Girls

education – case study from India

YAZALI , Josephine, Professeure associée, Inde at

International colloquim on gender and governance(17-19 2009)

Mauratius

1. Social fabric of India2. Journey of a women3. Gender issues identified4. Government interventions4. Government interventions5. land mark Constitutional change and its

impact6. conclusion

Social fabric of India based on

• Caste/community hierarchy-4 categories• Religion-4major• Languages-184 but govt reco 14• Region/state variations-29states &8 uts• Region/state variations-29states &8 uts• Patriachy ideaology-Man is head of the

family

Ideology

• An ideology in which men are superior to women and have the right to rule women. This ideology has permeated the social structures of societies throughout India structures of societies throughout India and the world

Journey of a women

1.Parenatal• Unwanted syndromes- Selective abortion, Battering

during pregnancy, Denial of equal rights of life.

2. InfancyFemale infanticide, Emotional,and physicalabuse,differential access to food and medical care for girlinfants, Denial of equal rights.

3 .Childhood• Child marriage,• Differential access to education, foodand• Differential access to education, foodand

medical care and growth,• Child labour forced by parents, Denial of

right to have good childhood

Adolescence/Grown up women

• Differential access for development, • Succumb to family Economic pressures,• Sexual abuse & sexual harassment • Sexual abuse & sexual harassment • rape, • Denial of rights to have respectable life, • Second-class citizenship treatment in the work

places,• Denial in recognition,• Denial of professional avenues and growth,• Denial of rights to have equal wages.

• Womanhood• Abuse of women by male society,• social discord,• Dowry abuse and murder,• Partner homicide,• Partner homicide,• Psychological abuse,• Sexual abuse;• Sexual harassment;• rape;,• Denial of a right to have respectable life.

• Old Age• Abuse of widows,• Disrespect for divorced and separated,• attaching social stigmas,• attaching social stigmas,• Elder abuse (affects women more than men),• Denial of rights to live in safety

Real condition of women in rural India

• Exclusion• Inequality • Domination• Wide gap between rural and urban women• Wide gap between rural and urban women

As a result

• Low literacy levels(2001 census 54.16,inrural 46%

• female foeticide(female child unwanted)• The village women do not know about women • The village women do not know about women

freedom, women liberty, women emancipation etc.

• the role of female is confined to domestic work and looking after children

• A boy’s education is far more important as it enhances the chances of his being employed

• early marriage in rural areas

Declining sex ratio of female children

Sex Ratio

State Year Sex Ratio Children (Under 7 Years) (Under 7 Years)

India * 1901 972 --

1991 927 945

2001 933 927

Government’s intervention –empowerment of women through decentralization

of power

• Constitutional guarantees to women• A quota system in the rural governance in • A quota system in the rural governance in

this direction felt necessary to make the women confident, awareness of their rights.

The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992A landmark legislation for women all over India

• 73rd Constitution Amendment Act, which had the landmark provision of reserving not less than one-third of the total number of seats in the local bodies(PRIs) for of seats in the local bodies(PRIs) for women.

Introduction of Reservation (Quota) in local

governance i.e.PRIs-progressive legislation

• India passed this piece of progressive legislation in 1993 to enable the presence of a ‘critical mass’ of women in the of a ‘critical mass’ of women in the decentralized decision making process.

• Quota to women(at lowestadministrative structure i.e.village level) introduced

The quota

• Not less than one-third (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) of the total number of seats

• to be filled by direct election in every panchayat shall be reserved for women and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a shall be reserved for women and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a Panchayat( (Article 234 D(3)).

• Not less than one-third of the total number of offi ces of Chairpersons in the Panchayats at each level sha ll be reserved for women (Article 243D(4)).

• 74th Amendment has similar provisions for Municipalities

1. Impact-high levelparticipation of rural women in local governance

What panchayat means

• "Panchayat" literally means assembly (yat) of five (panch) wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the village community.

• Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes • Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages. Modern Indian government has decentralised several administrative functions to the village level, empowering elected gram (village)panchayats.

The Panchayat Raj system(Local governance) has a three-tier

structure• (i) the Village Panchayatas, • (ii) the Panchayat Samitis(block level) and • (iii) the Zila Parishad(district level).• (iii) the Zila Parishad(district level).

• i) The Village Panchayatt or Gram Panchayat: The village panchayat or the gram Panchayat functions at the Village level.

• (ii) Panchayat Samiti: The panchayat samiti is the main executive body which operates at the the main executive body which operates at the block level.

• (iii) Zila Parishad: The Zila Parishad functions at the districts level and is responsible for making executing and coordinating the programmes of rural development for entire district

Duties

• Panchayat System in India basically looks after the upliftment of the Indian villages. Issues like

• powerlessness, • powerlessness, • illiteracy, • corruption,• malnutrition, • water, health and hygiene,girls

education,woen empowerment etc

• CHANGES AND IMPACT

-CHANGES

1. after the 73rd Amendment a majority of women elected to panchayats were illiterate;

2. A large percentage were from lower 2. A large percentage were from lower socio-economic strata;

3. They entered at a comparatively younger age;

4. They are first generation entrants to public/political

Post-73rd Amendment Panchayat elections shattered several myths ..

5. That women are passive and disinterested in political institutions/public life

6. Only the well-to-do, upper strata women will come forward to contest electionswill come forward to contest elections

7. Women’s political connectivity - only kin of powerful politicians will enter panchayats to keep the seats for them

8. Women are only proxies - ‘namesake’ members and they do not participate in the panchayats in a real sense

Changes

9. There are new terms in circulation like ‘mem sab/Madam’ showing the altered and enhanced status of women representatives.representatives.

10.Engendering politics since village women have access to these institutions.

.

11.Engendering the development process by paying more attention to education, health, and other welfare schemesschemes

12. Domestic violence such as harassment due to dowry, wife beating gets sorted out in the villages.

13. Change of self-perception and thereby change in the status of the girl child .change in the status of the girl child .

14. Powerful undercurrents in Indian society in favour of women.

15. Bringing honesty and integrity to public life.

16. More women coming forward to contest panchayat elections

Impact…..

2. Enhancement in their self-esteem, confidence and decision-making abilities

3. Changed the perception of women4. Increase in women participation in

political leadership-evidence of growth of elected women from 2004 to 2009

Impact on functioning of Local self-governance

5. changing governance are evident in the issues they choose to tackle like;

• water, • alcohol abuse,• alcohol abuse,• education, health, • women self esteem and • domestic violence• A grassroots revolution is brought

Impact on Education development of the villages

7. active in bringing education to their villages even though they are frequently held hostage by caste politics and quotas

8. Today 98 per cent of India’s rural population has access to primary schools within a kilometer of the habitation

measures are called for to help girls to join the schools

9. setting up of girls toilets and providing separate girls’ schools at upper primary level to counter community resistance to girls’ studying in co-educational schools girls’ studying in co-educational schools

10. . Some schools are residential ones

Reduced the number of dropouts and out of school children

11.studies have shown they have reduced the number of female drop-outs after puberty

12. They bring safe drinking water to the 12. They bring safe drinking water to the schools and their students.

13.Schools are constructed by the women panchayats

Improved the nutrition…

14.Addressing the nutritional needs of the population since women tend to oversee the mid-day meal, public distribution system (PDS), ICDS in a distribution system (PDS), ICDS in a better way

Enabling and Inhibiting Factors Faced by Women and Dalit Members

ENABLING FACTORS INHIBITING FACTORS

INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES • High education levels • Illiteracy and low educational • High education levels • Prior exposure to outside world • Initiative and drive • Knowledge and understanding

of their roles and responsibilities

• Decision-making capacity • Ability to mobilise community

participation

• Illiteracy and low educational levels

• Compliance with social restrictions

• Shyness and submissiveness • Lack of comprehensive

understanding of their roles and responsibilities

• Caste system • Patriarchy • Poor economic background

Enabling and Inhibiting Factors Faced by Women and Dalit Members

ENABLING FACTORS INHIBITING FACTORS

ENVIRONMENT • Family and spouse support

(distribution of household chore/assistance

• Male family members/spouses assume the role of sarpanch

• Caste and gender chore/assistance • Support of other panchayat

members • Community support and

participation in panchayat activities

• Active involvement of government officials and functionaries

• Presence and support of voluntary community groups/organisations

• Caste and gender considerations among other panchayat members

• Indifferent attitude of government officials and functionaries

• Misguidance by the panchayat secretary in conducting panchayat activities

• Apprehension of no-confidence motion

• Party pressure

Problems elected women face at the grassroots

1. Almost all of them are first timers in politics2. A sizeable number of them are illiterate

(except Kerala and West Bengal)3. Not fully aware of development issues or

government programsgovernment programs4. Many are forced in patriarchal values5. Male kin take charge of the Panchayats6. Increasing incidence of violence against

elected women7. More roles, more responsibilities,

additional burden

Problems elected women face …2

8. Derogatory references to their lack of capacity

9. Negative attitude of government officials at all levels all levels

10. Character assassination11. Vacuum in content and methodology of

training for women and inclusiveness.12. Increasing number of no-confidence

motions against women panchayat heads

conclusion

• Improved education levels of the villages and • change in the attitude for girls education,• drastic reduction in dropouts and out of

school children in schoolsschool children in schools• Positive role of women’s organisations.

Incresed Women activism.• Demand for women’s representation in State

Assemblies, Parliament.

THANK YOU

THANK YOUTHANK YOU