Multiple Marginalities: A Study of Participation of Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

This article examines the context and implications of increasing participation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Arunachal Pradesh. The key question that is addressed is whether inclusion of women in grassroots-level governance expands the scope for a more inclusive governance. The findings of the study suggest that the mere representation of women in decentralised governance is not enough to bring any qualitative change in local politics so far as inclusiveness is concerned. In the presence of multiple marginalities and multiple forms of exclusion, positive discrimination in one domain has not been able to create a ripple effect in addressing other forms of exclusion. With all its potential as an agent of change, women’s reservation in PRIs remains firmly anchored in the patriarchal politics of identity. The study finds that reservation for women in PRIs, although an important step towards gender equality, has failed to create the ground for a more inclusive form of grassroots governance.