Team mates

Tazlina Zamila KhanID: 15162004

Muhammad Rakib Hossain ID: 14262002

Shafayet Hossain    ID: 14362002

Shangma BipulID: 14262020

From Kitchen to Local Government: Understanding the challenges of local

women political leaders

Women’s participation in politics

Traditionally women in our country are deprived of the right of decision-making and of effective political participation. Their roles have been identified as secondary. Their potentiality remains largely unrecognized and contributions are mostly unpaid.

What our national leaders say?

“Women candidate could not survive in the election politics of violence and money. Moreover, the popular belief is that nominating a women for a seat is the other name of losing it” (2001)

Participation & Empowerment

Participation

Norman Uphoff a. Participation in decision making in

identifying problems, formulating alternative planning activities, allocating resources etc.

b. Participation in implementation in

carrying out activities, managing and operating programs.

c. Participation in economic, social, political or other benefits individually or collectively.

d. Participation in evaluation of the activity and its outcomes for feedback purposes.

Vanessa - a. Having control or gaining further control;b. Having a say and being listened to;c. Being able to define and create from women’s perspective;d. Being able to influence social choices and decision affecting the whole society;e. Being recognized and respected as equal citizens in human beings with a contribution to make.

The capacity to analyse, organise and mobilise. This results in the collective action that is needed for collective change. It is often related to a rights-based approach to empowerment and the empowering of citizens to claim their rights and entitlements (Piron and Watkins, 2004).

Political empowerment

A framework developed by Longwe (1991) provides some useful distinctions between different degrees of empowerment (with the numbered list below moving up towards increased empowerment):

• 1. The welfare ‘degree’: where basic needs are satisfied. This does not necessarily require structural causes to be addressed and tends to view those involved as passive recipients.

• 2. The access ‘degree’: where equal access to education, land and credit is assured.

• 3. The awareness-raising ‘degree’: where structural and institutional discrimination is addressed.

• 4. The participation and mobilisation ‘degree’: where the equal taking of decisions is enabled.

• 5. The control ‘degree’: where individuals can make decisions and these are fully recognised.

Dimensions of power

Power Over: ability to influence and coerce

Power To: organise and change existing hierarchies

Power With: increased power from collective action

Power from Within: increased individual consciousness

Constitution of the People’sRepublic of Bangladesh

Article 59(1) “Local Government in everyadministrative unit of the Republic shall be entrusted to bodies composed of persons elected in accordance with

law”

Related articles • Article 10 : Steps shall be taken to ensure

participation of women in all spheres of national life.

• Article 19 (1): The State shall endeavor to ensure equality of opportunity to all citizens.

• Article 28 (1): The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.

(2) : Women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of public life.

(4) : Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making special provision in favor of women or children or for the advancement of any backward section of citizens

Provided direct elections to reserved seats for women in local level elections. It gave the structural framework for women’s participation in political decision making and provides an opportunity to bring women to the centre of local development and develop new grassroots level leadership.

Apart from the reserved seats, women can also contest for any of the general seats; previously, the process of selection of the women representatives was on the basis of nominations and or indirect elections.

A post of Vice Chairman in Upazilla Parishad has been created only for women. 

The Local Government (Union Parishad) Second Amendment Act 1997 of Bangladesh

Women in Local Government

Local government

Urban

City Corporation (11)

Pouroshova(284)

Rural

Zila Parishad (64)

Upazila Parishad (482)

Union Parishad (4451)

Union Parishad

largest level of local governmentwomen can contest in general seats, and

in addition 3 seats are reserved In 1997 women's winning rates for the

chair 22.5% and general member 24 %But 2003, chair 9.5% and general 13.8%In 2011 only 22 out of 225 women

candidates (9.8 %) could win in the chair posts in the UP elections.

Upazila Parishad

The RPO 2008 provides for two elected vice chairpersons in the second level of local elected bodies, one of which has to be a woman.

2009, 481 women vice chairpersons were elected in reserved seats and only 3 women were elected directly as chairman.

2014, out of 487 Upazillas, elections were held in 458 in which a total of 1507 women took part.

City Corporation and Pouroshabha

10 to 30 seats are reserved for women depending upon the size in each of the six city corporations and 223 municipal bodies known as the Pouroshabha.

Bangladesh has one female City Mayor in Narayanganj

Lets have a look over

the situation

Union Parishad

Dhaka Tribune March 16, 2014

• The participation of female politicians in the decision making levels in all political parties have remained at around 2%, even though the law stipulates at least 33% participation of women in all committees, including the executive committee, according to data collected Narir Joy Sobar Joy campaign.

• As per the 2009 RPO Act, all political parties must have 33% of women participation in all committees, including the executive committee, before 2020.

• Seeking anonymity “We are working for our party but no one recognizes us as politicians. When they think of a representative for an area, they always choose male candidates,” said a female politician, who tried to bag a party nomination in the recent elections.

Daily star March 20, 2014

Women's share in party leadership abysmal: Report

What’s stopping them?

Ideological and

psychological

Socio-economic

Political

3Ms as major obstacle

Money Man Masculine

Political hindrance:

Lack of party support such as limited financial support for female candidateLack of contacts and co-operation with other public organisation such as trade unions and women’s groups

Barriers to Women’s Participation in Local

Government Imbalance in the ratio of men and

women – Women limited scope to influence decisions

Rise in recent political violence

Barriers to Women’s Participation in Local

Government Lack of clarity in the constitution on

the role of women in local government

Patriarchal system, ideology and practice

Male-biased environment - women cannot give attention to their issues

Lower educational achievements and prevalence of social norms

Lack of nomianation

• Lack of financial resources/Poverty

• The duel burden of domestic work and professional obligations

• Lack of transport problem

• Family and society’s support

• Sexual identity• Negative perception on

women• Pre-determined social

role assigned to men and women

• Women participation on politics seen as “dirty”

• The way in which women are portrayed in the media

Socio-economic barriers

Ideological and psychological

hindrance

Let’s go

through

Rokeya Sultana elected member from Shikdar

Para Village under Cox’s Bazar

Encouraged to take part in UP electionElected but faced many hurdlesOpposition tried to convince with threat and

other means to withdraw candidature“I was not given any development work in my

area although elected. I assured my people that I would play a role to develop the constituency and social net activity”

“If I cannot play my role what is the point of getting elected to Union Parishad ?” (New Age 2012)

“We are losing our popularity as the UCs do not allow us to work for people who voted us to

power ” (Chowdhury 2009)

The UP male leaders do

not invite them to UP

meeting or if they are

invited the meeting are

scheduled at night so

that they can’t take part

(Shehabuddin 2008)

One study finds women were given the tasks related to family planning, cottage craft, education and women and children’s affairs.

They are also expected to deal with the women in the community, NOT THE MEN

Most of the women don’t have any committee assignment at all

Shefali et al. 2005

Survey Data Women’s Experience of Corruption: Lessons from Two Unions of Bangladesh (March 2015)

Women UP members reported that they were compelled to give signatures on blank cheques as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Development.

A survey on representation and violence against women in politics in Bangladesh (March 2009)

Respondent 302… half of them Women 48.6 percent agreed about violence

against women in politics resultinga) Threatb) Divorcedc) Police harassment d) Mental stress from familye) Lack of transportation…security

RecommendationsTraining and sensitization of the male representatives is a very important requirement for ensuring women's empowerment in the local government structures of the country More nomination to female candidate More emphasis on 33% women participation in all committees Mass awareness Grassroots level training programs and involvement of the national leadersDecentralizationWomen should be given various opportunities for leadership training, training regarding the activities of Union Parishad and education in order to encourage them to take up political and leadership position. Supportive services should be provided to allow women to participate in these training courses

Lailufar Yasmin Mam

Reference1. ''WOMEN'S POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT IN BANGLADESH PROSPECTS AND

CHALLENGES'' by Brochure-Aparajita-29.09.2014.2. ''WOMEN, PARTICIPATION AND EMPOWERMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

BANGLADESH UNION PARISHAD PERSPECTIVE'' by MD. MOSTAFIZUR RAHMAN KHAN FARDAUS ARA in Asian Affairs, Vol. 29, No. 1 :73-00, January-March, 2006

3. A survey on representation and violence against women in politics in Bangladesh on March 2009 by DemocracyWatch

4. Strengthen Local Government Towards Deepening Democracy, Annual Report July 2012-June 2013, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad

5. The Nature of Political Empowerment and Gender in Local Governance: A Comparative Study of Dhaka City Corporation and Narayangonj Municipality by Farhana Zaman

6. The Impact of Women’s Political Leadership on Democracy and Development by Commonwealth Secretariat, Farah Deeba Chowdhury, Margaret Wilson, Colleen Lowe Morna, Mukayi Makaya Magarangom

7. Women’s Experience of Corruption: Lessons from Two Unions of Bangladesh by TIB, March 12, 2015

8. Understanding the Local Power Structure in Rural Bangladesh by David Lewis and Abul Hossain

9. Understanding and operationalising empowerment by Cecilia Luttrell and Sitna Quiroz, with Claire Scrutton and Kate Bird, November 2009, Overseas Development Institute