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India’s talented women, untapped by a male-dominated bureaucracy, are entering and transforming rural governance through the panchayat system. This centuries-old system of local self-government enables women to run for positions in elected village councils, with leadership roles gradually becoming more common. Although women are still woefully underrepresented, five years of consecutive research by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance revealed that female leaders in rural India often achieve significant improvements in sanitation, education and child welfare. The women’s contributions to rural governance now influence international policy dialogue, with the United Nations echoing their success and calling for further action to close persistent gender gaps. These female leaders from centuries-old societies comprise a force to be reckoned with in the world’s largest democracy.
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