Social Movement, Action and Change: The Influence of Women's Movements on City Government in Mumbai and London

Abstract

This article reports on a research investigation into gender and local government in Mumbai in India and London in England.In both these cities female representation at the political level stands at around one third, achieved in London slowly in recent years and in Mumbai more rapidly through the adoption of a quota, or seat reservation system, implemented in 1992. In considering the experience of the women concerned it is argued that their presence and aspirations have been influenced through the networks of their respective women's movements, operating through civil society and the local state. In considering the ways in which they organize and manage the duties of office and their gendered identities, as well as in their focus on the most disadvantaged in their communities and in their dealings with others, the part played by social movements in influencing change is examined. Introductory commentsT his article reports findings from a research investigation into gender and local government which has been in progress for a number of years. Beginning in England in the late 1980s, the investigation was extended to India in order to consider the impact of the 30 per cent seat reservation, or quota system, for local women politicians which has been in operation in

Do Electoral Quotas Work after They Are Withdrawn? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in India

“…This literature includes works on the determinants of people's decisions to run for office (Chhibber 2002;Fox and Lawless 2004), the literature on party (Sanbonmatsu 2006) and voter perceptions (Barry, Honour, and Palnitkar 2004;Beaman et al 2008;Hajnal 2001) of minority candidates, and the literature on changing social norms (Mackie 1996). This article contributes to this literature by examining the effects of an exogenous and random shock (the quota) on the election process.…”

Poverty and marginalisation: challenges to poor women's leadership in urban India

“…. .. We can take, accept, promotions' (female administrator, from Barry et al 2004). This statement reveals the choices women make in refusing or accepting promotions based on their practical responsibilities at home.…”

“…Barry et al (2004) reveals that women in Mumbai choose to work in the public sector not only for the security it offers, but also for practical reasons such as the fact that the working hours of junior administrative positions in the Municipal Corporations 5 coincide with school hours (Honour et al 1998). 6 They also found that women had entered politics at a later date than their male counterparts, and that they were more likely to have been asked to stand for office if they had no responsibility for dependents at home, thus explaining the weaker assimilation of party political values amongst women.…”

“…Barry et al (2004) studied women councillors in Mumbai and London, where respondents in both cities were relatively affluent and well-qualified as compared with their constituents, although some of the women in Mumbai were illiterate. While education may not always indicate lower socio-economic status, lower education most often coincides with lower socio-economic status.…”

“…This article sets out to analyse the few studies on women municipal councillors which do exist, in order to gain more understanding of the ways in which class, caste, and religious identities pose considerable obstacles to poor women who look to political leadership at the urban local level as a way of meeting their interests and needs. I draw on a range of studies, including ones conducted in Calcutta (Tawa LamaRewal 2001), Kerala (Sooryamoorthy 2000), Haryana (Arora and Prabhakar 1997;Chhibber 2002), Uttar Pradesh (Ciotti 2006), and Mumbai Honour et al 1998;Barry et al 2004). I also draw on insights from my work with women in slum areas in Bangalore, with the Association for Promotion of Social Action (APSA) where I worked on legal empowerment sessions with women from several slums.…”