Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia

Nizam Ahmed is Professor of Public Administration at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. His previous books include Public Policy and Governance in Bangladesh (2016), and Parliaments in Asia (co-edited with Lord Norton, 1999).

This edited volume examines policies aimed at increasing the representation of women in governing institutions in six South Asian countries. Divided into three parts, it addresses the implications of uniformity and diversity for the substantive representation of women in parliament, civil service and local government. The contributing authors explore the scope and limits of 'positive discriminatory policies' within distinct country contexts, and the implications of the lack of such policies in other countries. Their findings shed new light on the extent to which the higher presence of women in different governing institutions matters, particularly in respect of promoting women's issues; and also on the way men and women in different governing institutions look upon each other's roles and adopt strategies for mutual adjustment. This innovative collection will appeal to students and scholars of gender studies, public policy and administration, international relations, law and political science.

Presents thematically arranged country studies allowing for a comparison of gender inclusiveness across South Asia

Chapter 1: Introduction; Nizam Ahmed.- Chapter 2: Alangkar or Ahangkar? Reserved-Seat Women Members in the Bangladesh Parliament;Nizam Ahmed and Sadik Hasan.- Chapter 3: Women in Parliament-Entering the Public Male Domain in Bhutan; Sonam Chuki.- Chapter 4: Deepening Democracy in India: The Role of Women Parliamentarians and Their Challenges; Sangita Dhal and Bidyut Chakrabarty.- Chapter 5: Women in the Parliament: Changing Gender Dynamics in the Political Sphere in Nepal; Punam Yadav.- Chapter 6: Who Speaks for Women in Parliament? Patriarchy and Women MNAs in Pakistan; Nusrat Jahan Chowdhury.- Chapter 7: Gender Inclusive Governance: Representation of Women in National and Provincial Political Bodies in Sri Lanka; Imiya Kamala Liyanage.- Chapter 8: Balancing Work and Family: Women in Bangladesh Civil service; Nishat Afroze Ahmed and Ferdous Jahan.- Chapter 9: Women in the Bhutanese Bureaucracy; Kunzang Lhamu.- Chapter 10: Women in Civil Service in India;Shivani Singh.- Chapter 11: Limits of Inclusion: Women's Participation in Nepalese Civil Service; Narendra Raj Paudel.- Chapter 12: Women in Pakistan Civil Service; Nighat Ghulam Ansari.- Chapter 13: Women in Administrative Service in Sri Lanka; M.A.F Anwara Nilmi and Darshi Thoradeniya.- Chapter 14: Women's Representation and Participation in Local Government in Bangladesh: New Openings and Remaining Barriers; Maheen Sultan.- Chapter 15: Proxy or Agency? Women in Rural Local Government in India; Prakash Chand.- Chapter 16: Gender and Local Governance in Pakistan; Nasira Jabeen and Umm-e-Farwa Mubasher.- Chapter 17: Testing the Politics of Presence: Women's Representation in Local Government in Sri Lanka; Imiya Kamala Liyanage.- Chapter 18: Does Inclusion Matter? Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia; Nizam Ahmed.