Strength in Numbers: How Women's Groups Close India's Political Gender Gap

Abstract

In India, there persists a striking gender gap in political participation. Women's political participation is important both on normative grounds of inclusion and because when women participate, politics changes. I develop a theoretical model of women's political behavior, arguing that women's lack of political participation is the result of the structure of women's political networks in patriarchal societies. I then evaluate the effect of expanding women's networks by leveraging a natural experiment that created as‐if random variation in access to women‐only credit groups. Participation in these groups had a significant and substantial impact on women's political participation—women's attendance at public meetings doubled. I provide suggestive evidence of three mechanisms underlying this effect: (1) larger networks, (2) increased capacity for collective action within networks, and (3) development of civic skills. These findings contribute to our understanding of how networks affect political behavior and underlie gendered inequalities in political participation.

The road not taken: Gender gaps along paths to political power

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Matching Intent With Intensity: Implementation Research on the Intensity of Health and Nutrition Programs With Women's Self-Help Groups in India

“…Due to their structure and functioning, SHGs may address underlying determinants of health by design, including financial security, decision making, and political participation. [22][23][24] Taken together, these 3 features suggest that add-on interventions could result in a multiplier effect on health, nutrition, and well-being. Impact evaluations and observational studies indicate some improvements in health behaviors among SHG members through layered interventions.…”

Integrating Gender Equity in Vocational Studies to Transform Agricultural Activities Towards Green and Inclusive Businesses

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