Women’s Empowerment Through Local Governance In South Asia

Abstract

I have decided to speak on ‘Women’s Empowerment through Local Governance in South Asia’, a subject, I guess, Prof Desai would have appreciated. Beginning with the early 1970s the theme of women’s empowerment has attracted increasing attention of scholars, researchers, activists, and policy makers. During the last three decades there have been many seminars and conferences to deliberate on women’s issues. A large body of literature is now available describing and analyzing women’s conditions, and problems faced by them in different parts of the world. Over a period of time, a broad consensus seems to have emerged that women have to be empowered if their social, political and economic condition is to be changed for the better. Among several ways of empowering women one suggestion has found wide support among thinkers and policy makers, namely, to provide for a reserved quota of

 seats for women in various structures of power such as legislatures and local government institutions.