Why Gender Equity for Good Governance?

Good Governance is a percussor to growth- especially Economic Growth. Gains are huge when women come in Governance , they change the face of the Development Agenda.

The 73^rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution in 1993 revolutionized the concept of ‘Grass-Roots’ Democracy. It paved the way to strengthened women’s participation; ensuring mandatory 33% reservations at all the tiers in Local Self Governance. Today out of the 3 Million Elected representatives in the 2.5 million villages of India a gigantic 1.2 million stand as Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) a number more than the Elected Representatives put together all over the world.

Women in leadership are “non-hierarchical and participatory, and give priority to disadvantaged sectors”. Their leadership also focuses on “issues rather than personalities.” Women further consider their leadership as promoting a greater responsiveness of local government policies and services.

A study undertaken by PRAGATI reveals certain positive fallouts, with 78% of the panchayats represented by the women, encompasses structural changes in the rural socio-economic situation in order to achieve the prosperity and welfare.

The Vienna Declaration of 1993 states that, Deficit participation in Governance erodes and violates the Political and Civil Rights of women, which constitute the basic spirit of Human Rights.

Health, Sanitation, Education and Water services tend to be better in Panchayats led by women rather than men. But despite receiving objectively better service, women were subjected to harsher standards of performance than men. The findings show that, the relationship between women’s stated priorities and actual spending patterns in villages, women leaders tend to invest more in the requirements of the marginalized and women. They have also brought alcohol abuse & domestic violence onto the agenda of political campaigns.

Gender Equity in   Local governance a study undertaken by PRAGATI on 5,000 Elected Women Representatives from 22 Districts of three states i.e. 13 districts of Uttarakhand, 6 districts of Haryana & 3 districts of Himachal Pradesh.