Study conducted in Samastīpur District of Bihar, India.

Contributed articles.

Study with special reference to Haryana, India.

Contributed articles with reference to India.

This book is the outcome of interdisciplinary research investigating female participation in politics in rural India. The participants were all rural and mostly illiterate women who dared to explore the public space by entering into grassroots political institutions as a result of the quota introduced in 1992. This ruling stipulated that ‘no less than one third of the seats’ in India’s rural political units, the Panchayats, were to be filled by women, and created a social revolution in the countryside of India. The book presents an interesting investigation into about how women representatives negotiated their new roles by converting the strong patriarchal set-up in India into a support system for their new endeavour. This is an interesting work on women in local political institutions, and reveals the gradual social and economic empowerment of women through gender quotas in politics.

Contributed articles.

Contributed articles.

This volume represents a collection of life histories of women who live in rural Haryana. It looks at the impact of the 73rd Amendment to India’s constitution, which introduced reservations in the political arena for women. The Panchayati Raj Act of 1992 reserved one third of all Sarpanch positions for women, and granted constitutional status to the Panchayat system, outlining its specific functions and jurisdiction. This book enhances existing scholarship on the impact of these changes in that it provides the opportunity for women Sarpanches from Haryana to speak for themselves and reflect upon their journey. Ten elected women Sarpanches share their stories about their lives, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Their life histories address the following questions: Who are these women who agreed to run for a reserved seat in the elections? What motivated them? Why were they asked to run? What barriers do they face? Do they feel they are making a difference? Indeed, these stories reflect the lived realities of the women impacted by the changes in legislation.

The Multi-disciplinary and comprehensive collection of articles presented in this volume provides a valuable discussion on the status and role of the women in development of the society. Till recently, women were treated on a different pedestal, depriving them of their rights but reminding them of their duties. But with the changing times, the role of women has changed from child bearing and rearing to bread earner. This book brings under one cover the role of women in the changing society and their changing roles under the broad categories of Health, Education, Employment, Politics, Popular Movements and Development.

Panchayats are local governments mandated in the Constitution of India. As per the Constitution, a three-tier structure of panchayats is in place across the country, excepting areas where Part IX of the Constitution does not apply. Panchayats are to be instituted, through elections every five years, except in States with a population of less than 20 lakh, where panchayats at two tiers may be created. The Constitution recognizes the gram sabha, i.e. all the electors in a village panchayat. The Constitution provides that seats and offices of chairpersons be reserved for scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) in proportion to their respective population, and not less than one-third seats and offices of the chairpersons be reserved for women, including within the SC and ST reservations. Women's increased political participation has yielded positive results. Issues central to development-including health, nutrition, family income and education-have taken center stage as women participate in panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), village development boards, and other governance structures. India has primarily relied upon this method of reservation to ensure women's presence in decision-making bodies. This has increased de jure, but not necessarily de facto, participation. There is a need to encourage women's participation in other kinds of groups and associations which contribute to an atmosphere of leadership by women. This book discusses the background and future possibilities of women and PRIs. [Subject: Gender Studies, India Studies, Constitutional Studies]