Increasingly, women have shown equal, if not greater, understanding of their role as leaders. But obstacles are many and they have to triumph over them. Most important of all, the power to give women a chance still rests with the men
When many of the guests left her wedding reception because of the terrible smell emanating from unhygienic conditions prevailing in her village in Maharashtra, Madhuri Sawant was determined to change things. It took 14 years of single-minded determination to overcome a rigid mindset and conditioning but Sawant ensured that her village was among the 12 villages from Maharashtra to win the first Nirmal Gram Puraskar, an award instituted by the Union Government in October, 2003, to promote rural sanitation. Sawant’s village beat 443 contenders from 10 States to win the award given to panchayats or local self-governments, that have ensured that all households have access to toilets; are free of open defecation; and have separate toilets for boys and girls in schools and anganwadi centres.
Although Sawant started her campaign much before she became the village’s first woman pradhan, holding an office made it easier for her to push for sanitation and developmental work. It was her ability to catalyse change that catapulted her village to the top.
Sawant is not the only one who has been bringing change. There are innumerable examples of how the leadership of women in panchayats is transforming India and have been underlining why there is an urgent need for an increase in women’s participation in the political system. Their
presence in the village not only inspires other women but increases aspirations among families with daughters.
When women are seen taking up responsibilities of village leaders, which are traditionally appropriated by men, others are motivated to try and follow in their footsteps. Research has shown that perceptions of women as leaders improve when they are seen and heard at village meetings.
Studies have proven that women’s representation in local Governments can make a tangible difference. For example, the number of drinking water projects in areas with women-led panchayats was 62 per cent higher than in those that were led by men. Further, women legislators enhance economic performance in their constituencies by about 1.8 percentage points per year more than male legislators. Women legislators are more effective at completing road projects and, hence, creating infrastructure for growth, according to a recent study by the United Nations University.
Additionally, by improving educational outcomes for girls, these women leaders lay the foundation for increasing their participation in the labour force and, thereby, closing the gap of male-to-female working population in India.
Even at the national level, women’s leadership in the political decision-making processes champions issues of development, gender justice, elimination of gender-based violence, gender-equality laws, healthcare and safety of women, irrespective of party affiliation. Despite their low numbers, (women constitute 12.2 per cent of the MPs in the 16th Lok Sabha and 11.5 per cent in the Rajya Sabha), women have shown equal, if not greater, understanding of their role in Parliament.
While women MPs on an average asked 234 questions in the Lok Sabha, compared to 236 questions by men MPs, female MPs on average participated in more debates (56) than their male counterparts (55), according to data collected by PRS Legislative Research for the 16th Lok Sabha (June 1, 2014, to July 31, 2018).
Incidentally, female voter turnout was higher than male turnout in 16 States and Union Territories out of 35 in the last general elections in 2014. Can this be translated into greater participation of women as candidates? Yes, says a recent survey by Shakti, a non partisan inclusive platform of women across the country.
On being asked whether they wanted more women MPs in Lok Sabha in 2019 elections, Shakti received an affirmative answer from 10 lakh registered voters across the rural, urban, women, men and youth spectrum. Their Shakti-Neta App survey recorded 82.2 per cent ‘YES’ across 24 States.
But first, political parties have to give women a chance to contest the elections. Only 8.8 per cent tickets were given to women candidates by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12.9 per cent by the Congress in the 2014 general election. Will it be different this time around? Will women be able to overcome prevailing cultural attitudes regarding gender roles, lack of finances and the threat of violence?
That it is possible for women to triumph over these obstacles has been shown by Jayanti, a young woman from the backward Sahariya tribe in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Jayanti’s journey from a daily-wage labourer to a pradhan symbolises the growing political empowerment and coming of age of many marginalised women.
In the feudal and backward Bundelkhand region of the State, these women are now more willing to participate actively in the electoral process. Jayanti stood her ground despite threats and coercion to withdraw from the elections.
Even the announcement that she had lost by four votes did not break her spirit. She exercised her right to a recount and was vindicated when she was declared the winner by a thin margin of six votes. Since then she has resolved problems related to the mid-day meals old age pension cards and roads.
The power to give women a chance still rests with the men. Now is the moment to prove that commitments for women-led development don’t remain mere rhetoric.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
