Background Document - Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy
Background Document - Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy
Background Document - Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy
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Trainings by NGOs, political parties, educational <strong>and</strong> political institutions are imperative<br />
in order to secure greater participation of women in local politics to develop<br />
their skills self confidence, gender awareness rights <strong>and</strong> also <strong>for</strong> political leadership.<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
We began by emphasizing the importance of local politics at a time when the discourses<br />
on deepening democracy are gaining importance including that of deliberative democracy<br />
that celebrates debate <strong>and</strong> discussion on matters of policy rather than this<br />
being taken up exclusively by elected legislators. If such practices are indeed gaining<br />
ground, the role of women in local politics cannot be overstated.<br />
Since their experiences are different from that of men they bring in new perspectives<br />
<strong>and</strong> new ideas, <strong>and</strong> to ignore this or bypass it would defeat the very purpose of<br />
such a decentralisation process associated with deepening democracy.<br />
Whether it is in the countries that are held out as exemplars of women’s political<br />
participation such as the Sc<strong>and</strong>inavian countries or states in Africa <strong>and</strong> South Asia<br />
where the hold of patriarchy is palpably more, the phenomena still exists across the<br />
world. This mindset produces a certain sexual division of labor in the household <strong>and</strong><br />
corresponding gendered institutions <strong>and</strong> ideologies that militate against women participating<br />
in local politics.<br />
These are the barriers that need to be identified <strong>and</strong> removed. This is why the<br />
South Asian resolution around the issue of violence against women in politics concludes:<br />
“We, the people of South Asia, both women <strong>and</strong> men, collectively challenge patriarchy<br />
<strong>and</strong> seek to replace it with a culture that actively supports equal participation<br />
of all. We encourage a South Asian <strong>for</strong>um that promotes such culture <strong>and</strong><br />
values through mass communication.”<br />
This will be as true in different degrees <strong>for</strong> the rest of the world as it is <strong>for</strong> South<br />
Asia.<br />
BIBLIOGRAPHY<br />
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