Gender Mainstreaming | How Manju Devi in Panchayat reflects a widespread reality in India

Do you remember Manju Devi, the elected Pradhan of the fictional village Phulera in the popular web series Panchayat, and her husband Brij Bhushan Dubey? The series humorously portrayed the culture of ‘Pradhan Pati’, ‘Sarpanch Pati’ or ‘Mukhiya Pati’, where Brij Bhushan acts as the de facto leader while Manju Devi remains in the background. 

Notably, the fictional character of Manju Devi reflects a widespread reality in India. A 2008 survey of three villages in Punjab found that 75% of elected female representatives in village panchayats are run by proxy participants or their husbands.

More recently, in 2022, reports of husbands or male family members taking oath instead of the elected women representatives came out from Madhya Pradesh. Another report from Kerala found that despite constituting 54% of the total number of elected members in local governance, women did not seem to be part of the decision-making process.

In that context, the government’s initiative to curb proxy leadership through “exemplary penalties” is a much-needed move. But what are the major reasons behind the culture of ‘Pradhan Pati’ and why does the symbolic representation of women often overshadow their substantive participation in local governance? Does the government’s initiative address deeper societal and institutional biases hampering women’s effective participation in local governance? 

Towards inclusive governance

Research on women’s involvement in political representation often highlights how women in politics can lead to effective policy outcomes, reduced corruption, less conflict, and greater inclusion of women in the labour force. The 73rd and the 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, hence, will remain a landmark in Indian political history. 

The amendments, which came into effect in 1993, mandate the reservation of one-third of all elected positions in local governance structures in rural areas (also known as Panchayati Raj Institutions or PRIs) for women. The move aimed at ensuring equitable representation of women in decision-making bodies at the grassroots level. 

India has over 1.45 million or 46% women in local governance across the country. The 2023 Global Gender Gap report added the inclusion of women’s participation in local governance as a new indicator of gender equality. With women constituting 46.6% of total elected representatives in local governance bodies, India is one of the highest ranked countries in terms of women’s participation in local governance. 

Notwithstanding such numerical achievement, cases like Manju Devi remain prevalent, highlighting the persistent challenges women face in exercising their authority independently.

Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta in a still from Panchayat.

Need for women’s effective inclusion 

Therefore, the recommendation for “exemplary penalties” for husband proxies running panchayats by a panel constituted by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is a move in the right direction. The panel in its report titled Transforming Women’s Representation and Roles in Panchayati Raj Systems and Institutions: Eliminating Efforts for Proxy Participation recommended numerous initiatives. 

Some of the recommendations are: a) an annual award for Anti-Pradhan Pati champions; b) public swearing-in of women pradhans in Gram Sabhas; c) creating federation of women panchayat leaders; d) establishing gender resource centres that provide leadership training and legal advice; e) use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology to provide real-time legal and governance guidance and to help women resolve day-to-day problems. 

While these recommendations are an important reminder of the need for women’s effective inclusion in political decision-making, what remains overlooked is the structural and systemic nature of women’s exclusion from such processes. Gender norms, along with societal and cultural constraints, significantly influence women’s mobility in India. 

Additionally, expectations of female domesticity and the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work limit women’s ability to influence decisions made within the household. A 2008 study on women in PRIs found that in many states, women Pradhans remain primarily engaged in household work. 

Addressing societal and institutional barriers

Hence, to imagine that women can make significant decisions on political and social issues without addressing the structural inequalities that start within the household is unrealistic. While efforts like Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao aim at altering structural gender norms, increasing women’s participation in decision-making in local governance also requires similar efforts. 

After all, women’s low literacy levels, restricted mobility, and lack of sufficient knowledge of governance structures allow male relatives to step in and exercise decision-making power, paving the way for proxy leadership. Addressing such factors requires policies that tackle structural inequalities. 

For instance, the use of AI and digital technology can help women representatives in solving everyday official problems. However, access to digital literacy in India remains highly gendered, compounded by caste-class dynamics. Similarly, access to or ownership of smartphones may not necessarily translate into digital empowerment. Reports suggest that women are 7% less likely to own a mobile phone and 16% less likely to use smartphones. Therefore, addressing such structural issues is a must to ensure women’s effective representation in local governance.   

Uprooting culture of proxy leadership

In this context, the recommendations of the report are important measures, but their effective implementation depends on addressing the systemic gendered inequalities. However, similar measures earlier contributed to progress in women’s increasing participation in local governance. For instance, the Kudumbashree initiative for Self-Help Groups in Kerala provides leadership skills to women in the state, resulting in the improvement of women’s engagement in political decision-making. 

Similarly, the emergence of all-women panchayats, such as Manje Raj Panchayat in Maharashtra and the Kultikri Gram Panchayat in West Bengal, offers a silver lining. These panchayats have mobilised to increase female literacy and employment rates, as well as increased participation of women in entrepreneurship. 

Hence, without addressing structural barriers, policies targeting gender inequality cannot yield desired results. More than 30 years since the 73rd Amendment Act, women’s representation in local governance remains largely symbolic and mirrors their constrained roles within the household – low decision-making power, disproportionate burden of care and domestic work, mobility constraints, and gendered social norms.

Uprooting the culture of proxy leadership and enhancing women’s decision-making in local governance requires policies targeting these structural inequalities.

Post Read Questions

How has the reservation of seats for women in Panchayats impacted local governance?

How do gendered social norms and unpaid care work hinder women’s full participation in political decision-making processes in local governance?

What structural reforms are needed to tackle the systemic nature of women’s exclusion from political participation, beyond symbolic measures?

What mechanisms can be put in place to monitor and evaluate the implementation of recommendations made by a panel constituted by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR)?

(Ritwika Patgiri is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Economics, South Asian University.)

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