Role of Women in Local Governance: The Kerala Experience

In the 21st century, women enjoy more independence and control. Still, they are disadvantaged when compared to male in almost all walks of life. Every individual has the right to involve in the decision making process that defines one’s life. This is the fundamental right for the foundation of the idea of equal participation. The concept of democracy cannot be complete without the contribution of both the sexes. So the basis of any attempts to empower any segment of society must be political participation. There is mounting impetus among governments and civil society to promote and guarantee women’s participation and headship in the political sphere, and exclusively within local power structures. Establishing quotas for women’s representation at diverse levels of government has been a deliberate approach in achieving this objective in many countries. Political reservation is the first and chief step to be taken to guarantee such a surprising vision. The participatory form of enlargement ensured by decentralized planning has opened up several opportunities for women in Kerala to verify their courage in the political, administrative and economic actions of the state. Around 50 percent of the seats in the LSGS of Kerala have been fixed to women through legislation. This paper focuses on the analysis of women empowerment and representation through the path-breaking legislation to reserve 50 % of the seats in local administrative bodies in Thrissur Corporation during 2010-2015.

Keywords:
Political Participation, Panchayati Raj, Municipal Corporation, Local governance, Women, Globalization