Women’s Participation in Gram Panchayats: A Catalyst for Inclusive Rural Development

The Essence of Participation: Empowering Women in Karnataka’s Local Governance

People’s Participation and Gender Equality: A Study of Gram Panchayats in Karnataka

Democracy in Action: Exploring Women’s Role and Motivation in Local Self-Government

Women’s Participation in Gram Panchayats: A Catalyst for Inclusive Rural Development

Author : Mohan A K Department of Social Work University of Mysore

A study on the women participation in Gram Panchayats in selected districts of Karnataka is unique in nature. It is intended to bring out an in-depth understanding on the profile of the elected women representatives in the Gram Panchayats of Udupi and Chamarajanagara districts in Karnataka with a holistic perspective. This understanding would help the policy makers, planners, social workers, and development organizations working on Panchayat Raj Institutions and rural development. This study also helps to ensure gender equality and social justice for the participation of women in Local Self Government with reference to the Gram Panchayats.

Participation: Conceptual Review

It was in the mid-1970s that the search for an ‘alternative development strategy’ was initiated (Oakley, 1991). People participation is crucial in the effective implementation of any development project. The majority of the developmental projects failed due to the lack of people’s involvement in the planning and implementation of the project. People can participate as consultants, decision makers, stakeholders, and beneficiaries. The involvement of all categories of society is essential to achieve sustainable development. In Africa, it has been found that ignoring the women’s farming practices was the root cause for the decrease in farm production (Nelson and Wright, 1995). This highlights the need for the participation of people of all categories like SCs, STs, and women. Participation is a process through which stakeholder’s influence and share control over development initiatives, decisions and resources that affect the people (World Bank, 1996).

Participation is the people’s involvement in the decision making process about what is to be done and by whom, their involvement in implementing the programme, sharing benefits and monitoring and evaluating the programme (Cohen and Uphoff, 1977). The core features of participation are – it is a voluntary involvement of the people; the people who participate influence and share control over development initiatives, decisions and resources; it is a process of involvement of people at different stages of the project or programme; and the ultimate aim is to improve the well-being of the people who participate. The people’s participation in the development programmes is not an end in itself; it is now considered as a means to get the highest benefit from the public programmes and services (Khwaja 2004).

The major reasons for emphasizing participation are as follows:

• Participation results in better decisions.
• People are more likely to implement the decisions that they made themselves rather than the decisions imposed on them from above.
• Motivation is frequently enhanced by setting up of goals during the participatory decision making process.
• Participation improves communication and cooperation (Locke, 1968).
• People may learn new skills through participation; leadership potential may be readily identified and developed (Heller et al., 1998).

Participation at the local level of governance refers to the involvement of people of diverse backgrounds, pursuing particular or common objectives. People have, however, different reasons for participating in an activity or event. This means that there are different drives or needs that motivate a person to participate in an activity. For example, why should a woman contest a panchayat election and participate in local governance? Some of the reasons could be the respect, the status and the popularity, the satisfaction or the chance to solve some of the issues affecting them in the village. There can also be expectations of monetary gains, breaking away from traditional roles, or even escape from the rigorous daily chores. These reasons can be categorized into three types, viz., existence, relatedness, and growth, as explained by Alderfer (Quoted by Robbins, 2002). Increasingly, people’s participation in local governmental affairs is considered an indivisible part of the meaning of democracy at local levels (Cornwall 2004a; Lawson & Gleeson 2005). Pimbert and Wakeford (2001, 23) argue that it is a very defining characteristic of modern democracy, as they state; “democracy without citizen deliberation and participation is ultimately an empty and meaningless concept”.