A
decade of Gender mainstreaming in Local Governance in Kerala
(Presented at
the International conference on a decade of decentralization
Kerala; issues, options and Lessons; October 7th to 9th, Mascot
hotel, Trivandrum)
Aleyamma Vijayan*
Introduction
Much has been
said about the importance and role of women’s empowerment
and improved decision-making leading to an improvement
in their social and political status thus leading to
transparent and accountable governance and sustainable
development in all areas of life and the attainment
of developmental goals. The power relations that impede
women’s attainment of fulfilling lives have been found
to operate at multiple levels right from the personal
to the public levels. The equal participation of men
and women in decision-making have been identified as
important prerequisites for attaining equality and equity
through democratic means leading to fair and transparent
governance and to the development of the masses through
democratic and peaceful means.
This
is a paper presented by Aleyamma Vijayan on "Women and
Sustainable Development" in the context of Kerala .
In this paper
she is attempting to bring in some theoretical analysis
on the development process and women’s roles in it as
seen and advocated by the women’s movements and later
on by the State and international organizations.
