The above statement calls attention to the challenges involved in the study of gender within governance. The study of governance concentrates primarily on its technical dimensions, that is, the manner in which structures are organised to enable the state to utilise resources for development. Social movements and their scholars, on the other
hand, have raised gender concerns in governance and emphasised on forging collective identities, raising consciousness and creating conditions for women to gain entry and effectively participate in political institutions at local and national levels. In India, interest in women in local governance, and concepts of gender and social justice was spurred with the enactment of the Constitution (73rd and 74th Amendment) in 1992. This path-breaking policy initiative enabled the participation of more than a million women in local governance through reservation of a minimum of one-third of seats for women(both as members and as chairpersons) within all of India’s locally elected governance bodies commonly referred to as Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The Amendment also gave recognition to these bodies as institutions of self- governance, indicating that people’s
participation is sine qua non for realising the goal of self-governance, and entrusted them with the responsibility of furthering the agenda of economic development and social justice.Several research studies and programmatic interventions have been focused on understanding the processes, out-comes and challenges of the democratization and engendering of local governance spaces for women. The effective participation of women, both as elected representatives, and as citizens, has been recognized as key area of focus within the paradigm of governance. Concepts of good governance and gender equality have been at the cutting edge of development debates over the last decade; however the relationship between the two is not always obvious, not organic.
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Publisher:
UNWOMEN, ICRW
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(2012
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Type / Script:
Publication
in English
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Keywords:
GENDER, GENDER EQUALITY, EMPOWERMENT, WOMEN ADVANCEMENT, CIVIL SOCIETY, GENDER BASED VIOLENCE, POVERTY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, WOMEN, DEMOCRACY, WOMEN RIGHTS, GENDER DISCRIMINATION, GENDER MAINSTREAMING, WOMEN ORGANIZATIONS, LEADERSHIP, ETHNICITY, CASTE, SOCIAL CLASSES, CAPACITY BUILDING
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Thematic Group:
UNWOMEN
:
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
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Thesaurus:
14.01.00
- Advancement Of Women
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Reference Link:
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