Contrary to popular belief, women in politics are not much different from men. This is particularly so in the urban bodies of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai where women councillors were found to be as prone to charges of corruption as men.
Though sympathetic to the problems of women in their localities, on a wider canvas, the women representatives are generally found to be as gender blind as their male counterparts.
These preliminary findings of a study on women councillors in the municipal corporations of the four major cities were presented at a conference on “Women in Urban Local governance”, organised by the Institute of Social Sciences and Centre de Sciences humaines.
The research revealed that corruption at the local level has become an universal phenomenon,. Accusations and counter-charges between officials and councillors are a common phenomenon.
Interviews with senior officials revealed that corruption is no longer limited to the male councillors. It was alleged that women who replaced their husband or male relatives are more prone to corruption as they have to maintain the same relations of “give and take” with the contractors.
“The fact that parties do not continue support to their councillors has a major impact on corruption in local politics,” the study stated.
Given the large number of councillors, there are many new faces in the election fray, making the polls more expensive. The new candidates use costly means to get elected. And, once elected, the tendency is to recover the money invested.
Though it is argued that women’s participation at the local level provides an opportunity to highlight gender concerns, this is not always the case.
The study says that women’s development is not a special concern to elected women leaders, though women councillors justify that since they represent both men and women voters, they cannot be partisan in their dealings.
A more practical reason, however, is that women cannot hope to get elected for a second term by fighting exclusively for women’s issues. “We know each other and we even talk to each other. But in the corporation, there is clear party loyalty,” they said. Although a large number of women councillors come from middle and upper classes, they still face a number of impediments.
Some complained that officials take advantage of them as they lack knowledge of rules, regulations and procedures of the corporations. They also face opposition from officials who do not share information with them. These complaints are the highest in Mumbai.
There is opposition from the men in their own party too. This trend is common in Chennai and Delhi. The opposition is attributed to the fact that men feel threatened when women gain prominence in the party. Men resent leaving their seats to women because of reservations, the study pointed out.
