| Abstract: | Women are a vital part of Indian economy, constituting one third of the national labour force and a major contributing to the survival of the family. It is an established fact that the poorer the family, the greater its dependence on women’s income. Gender analysis of most social and economic data reveals that women in India continue to be relatively disadvantaged in matters of health, nutrition, literacy and productivity. Keeping in mind the importance of women as human resource contributing to development, their participation in democratic processes was envisaged. As a first step, representation of rural women in political processes was ensured by a specific provision incorporated in the Constitution of India through the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992. The significant provision of this Act is reservation of one third of seats for women in all positions in local bodies. The provision is not only addressed the strategic needs of women but also tried to provide them space in local development activities. Keeping in view, the present paper is an attempt to measure the extent of women participation in the rural developmental activities and to understand, if any, the factors that hinder their participation. |
