Women’s Participation in Panchayati Raj Institutions: A Perspective from Jammu Region in Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

Men dominated Panchayati Raj Institutions until the 73rd Amendment of 1993, which mandated 33 percent reservation to women. The provisions of the 73rd Amendment were available to women in Jammu and Kashmir from 2003, owing to its limited constitutional autonomy under Article 370. This reservation provided an opportunity to a large number of women from the state to participate in the panchayat elections in 2011. This article studies the awareness level and participation of the newly elected women panchayat members in Panchayati Raj Institutions. The author also studies the socioeconomic, political and socio-cultural factors that impact women panchayat members in carrying out their regular activities. DOI: 10.32444/IJSW.2021.82.1.115-136 Author:  Ashwani Kumar is Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology & Social Work,Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.