Anand Sagar
Introduction and Background
The women subjugation has been a historical reality not just in India but globally. The suppression of half of population was based on structural functionalism. But, the core of it was exploitation, discrimination and domination in state and household.
The idea of personal is political gained the popularity with the rise of feminism movement and it gave a ray of hope in life of women. The struggle to come into mainstream politics was challenging. But the challenge was more grave in rural area where patriarchy root was very strong and unawareness was all over there. Here, the societal manipulated principles always manifested in male domination.
In India, the 73rd constitutional amendment act of 1992 granted constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institution in India. This allowed the villages to govern itself and also empowered women to participate in panchayat election.
The participation of women was ensured by providing 33% reservation to women candidate in elected bodies. This was breakthrough in history of women to come outside home and participate in political process. But, was it enough? Did it turn the table?
This question prevails till now. The emancipation of women lies in the development of agency to take their own part. The struggle continue and this article explore those milestone and challenges.
The Grassroot Context
In rural area, 65% of country’s population lives. Their social, economic, and political context differ from urban area. The move to uplift women in political process was great but it lacked the supporting factors that were needed in rural area. The women are provided responsibility with both household chores and outside works at same time in rural area.
They work in field as agriculture labour, MGNREGS labour, carry water, providing care to child and manage the house. The social dynamics are very rigid which disallow women freedom and limit the mobility. At the same time, the patriarchy comes into play at decision making in house or in panchayat.
The male dominance wants to retain its legacy and the surrounding factors like institution, societal norms and cultural narrative are conducive to it.
Rise of proxy PRI members
The sudden new opportunity of reservation of women was provided but the ecosystem was not
favourable to women leaders. This gave rise to proxy women leaders at rural and urban level both. The new term like ‘sarpanch Pati’ emerged and they hold the power of elected women
representative. This was not surprising because the social and economic domination of men has been very much accepted historically.
Although it provided opportunity to rise for many women leader. The patriarchal thinking was not only dominating in the rural space but also the offices, officers’ mind, and the system. This opportunity was a real struggle for women who appeared in the new phase of political sphere.
The Milestones
The inclusion of women in political process at rural level opened an entry gate for taking equal right as of men. Although there have been cases of women as proxy leader, many started learning the leadership skill and many demonstrated their skill. The exposure of outer world and awareness of legal rights created a sense of agency and many women emerged as vibrant leaders. Also, acceptance of society as women leaders increased and now, they were seen more than homemaker.
In National panchayat award 2024, 41% award winners led by women. Also, initiatives were taken to make women friendly gram panchayat by government in 2024. There are cases where elected women representatives are playing a catalytic role in village development and poverty alleviation.
The ripple effect of women leadership also extended in common mass and there has been recognition of women as equal citizen in gram sabha and other common platforms. Many role models emerged and also the collective voting power of women started to be seen as specific vote bank.
Challenges and Limitations
The challenges of being voter or leader can be understood from standpoint of women. The public platform is not very well safe and hygienic in many rural areas. This possesses risk for women to participate in common platform. Also, a mother faces challenges due to lack of creche facility at many public places.
The lack of strict laws against harassment and delays in judgement hinders the way forward of a women leader. Besides these all, the social restriction that comes from society is a great barrier in mobility for women leader. These are very clear challenges that a women leader face.
The main reason is still acceptance of women as leader in home and village and state. The long
history of entrenched patriarchy is engrained in mindset of men and women and accepting them as leader in equal weightage of men is still a struggle in Indian society. This struggle is aggravated at the intersection of caste, class and gender.
Conclusion
The progress of women in political leadership and workforce is welcoming. It has opened the gate for equal right and freedom in real sense. The reservation of women at local governance impact can be seen at rural level. But, the reservation of women in parliament is coming late. There is significant rise in rural female labour force participation rate which was 19.7 percent in 2018-19 and it increased to 27.7 percent in 2020-21.
This indicate that women are reaching out from their home. Now, the question arise who will lead them? Shouldn’t a woman represent the workforce of women? This basic idea is very indispensable because a marginalised section of population needs a leader from them who can understand better about women challenges.
Therefore, need of women leader in rural space becomes significant. There is need of more women in every field. The theory of critical mass applies here. More the number, more sharing and the struggles will come out in open public platform and in front of lawmaker and government
The real empowerment will not come only from changing the laws but there must be initiation of changing the mindset. There is need of gender sensitization from top level officials to bottom level working in the government system along with common people. The stereotyping and moral policing need to be de-motivated at each level.
References
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
About the Author
I am Law and Public Policy Youth Fellowship (LPPYF) COHORT 5 fellow. I have worked at rural level in Madhya Pradesh in PRADAN from 4th August 2014 to 18th July 2024. Presently, I am pursuing my MA in Development studies from IIT Guwahati.
Acknowledgement
I sincerely thank to entire IMPRI team for providing valuable learning.
Read More at IMPRI
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