Leaders in their own right

“Large masses of women in this country have remained unaffected by the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution and the laws enacted since Independence,” wrote the Committee on the Status of Women in India in their landmark mid-1970s report Towards Equality.

Fifty years later, after another International Women’s Day has come and gone, it is time to take stock of the status of women in India today. Social media was recently abuzz with a report from Chhattisgarh where a group of men had taken the oath as gram panchayat members on behalf of their wives who had been elected to those seats. When asked, four of the elected women reportedly said they were away attending funerals; the other two were “too shy” to take the oath in the presence of so many men. On the other hand, some of the men said they had planned to contest the elections themselves, but since the seats were reserved for women, they “had to” field their wives as candidates.

At the same time, in a much less widely reported news story, in another small gram panchayat 350 km north of Raipur, only women were elected to all the seats, from the 15 wards to the position of sarpanch. Further away, in Haryana, a woman sarpanch, Kamlesh Rani, has decided to take on the powerful khaps or caste panchayats to fight against child marriage and ensure that teenage girls get a chance to complete their education before marriage.

These are not isolated stories. A pioneer in representation for women in local bodies, Karnataka introduced 25% reservations in seats for
women in the mid-1980s. In 1993, after the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, this proportion was increased to 33%, including quotas in the positions of panchayat chairperson and vice-chair. In 2010, the proportion was further increased to 50%.

As no decentralisation of power comes without articulation from below, this was by any measure a quietly powerful moment for women’s representation in grassroots political institutions. Today, a majority of states have 50% reservations in seats and leadership positions for women in rural and urban local bodies. Around 1.4 million women, or about 45% of the total elected representatives, are members of rural local bodies.

While it is common sense that representation makes a difference, it is heartening that many studies, including by Esther Duflo, have confirmed that women leaders do indeed make a difference as local representatives.

Here are just three examples from Karnataka. In Raichur, former devadasi Akkamma became so experienced in helping families to get work under MGNREGA, school admissions for their children, and even access to textbooks, pens, and scholarships, that the village community insisted she should stand for election. Akkamma was elected as a gram panchayat member in 2020. In Peruvayi in Dakshina Kannada, when no one was willing to drive the solid waste collection vehicle, the panchayat vice president Nafeeza Tasli came forward to drive the vehicle herself. She is now president of the village panchayat. Kannada writer, activist, and advocate Banu Mushtaq, whose book has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize, has twice served as a municipal council member in Hassan.

“Hum hain Pradhan”

Even if these stories are not the norm, they are not few and far between either. Only negative stories about proxy panchayat politics seem to get widely circulated. Nevertheless, in the six election cycles since the 73rd Constitution Amendment, Indian women have made substantial progress in grassroots political institutions. Their work should be supported further through well-designed training, mentoring, and the thoughtful use of technology.

As far as social norms are concerned, an important way to bring change may be education through entertainment. “Hum hain Pradhan,” says Neena Gupta’s character Manju Devi in the well-received series Panchayat set in fictional Phulera. “Hum apni zimmedaariyaan khud sambhal sakte hain!” (I am the Chairperson! I can carry out my responsibilities on my own!). Ultimately, women should be able to stand up and say: “Hum hain Pradhan!”

About proxy decision-making – panchayats are not different from the larger society we live in. “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” said Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the US Congress and the first black candidate to stand for election as President.

Women and men in leadership need to keep a metaphorical stack of folding chairs for every table where decisions are taken. We can do this. Women shouldn’t have to wait for an invitation. We can include women in committees and panels. We can stare down award lists that don’t include women. We can nominate women for recognition. We can support women to take up leadership positions.
We can open doors, pull up chairs, and let women participate, as equals.

(The writer is in the IAS)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.