Women in governance

In 1992, an Act was passed which dictated that 1/3 of seats at all levels in the newly formed Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) should be reserved for women. This PRIA (Society for Participatory Research in Asia) publication, Participation and Governance has a special focus on women in Governance and looks back on the years succeeding this act. Included in this volume are the experiences and contributions of women elected to the PRIs, the methods they use to govern and the obstacles they face in both urban and rural governance. The household dynamics and the way in which gender roles are consequently shaped are also discussed with regards to women's bearing on PRIs.