After 50 per cent of the 21,162 seats in three-tier bodies and half of the governing positions were set aside for women in last month's polls in Kerala, hundreds of women from orthodox families saw themselves in elected positions for the first time.
A study conducted by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) among members of previous governing bodies had shown that one of the biggest problems faced by women members was lack of support from their families. With a large number of women voted this time, the state decided to step in to correct the situation.
Says KILA Director Dr N Ramakanthan: "We have asked all women representatives to identify two persons each in their families who should undergo the (sensitisation) training, starting next month. A woman representative can suggest two persons from her family depending on who the decision maker is. The person could be the husband, father in-law, mother in-law or brother."
The training would be provided by KILA, which falls under the state Local Administration Department.
Pointing out that Kerala was the first state in the country to look into the "domestic management" of elected women representatives, Ramakanthan says: "As people's representatives, these newly elected women would have to attend several programmes and urgent missions even late at night...

If the male members do not rise to the occasion, even marital relations would collapse."

While a detailed course for the training is being worked out, the KILA Director says it would cover all relevant domestic matters, as well as give an idea to the spouses of women officials about the volume of work involved in governing bodies. Men would be sensitised, for example, about giving space to women to allow them to go through files after office hours.
"The training would also sensitise the men about addressing routine matters to reduce conflicts. For example, women members may have to leave home for a public function after preparing food. Men should shed their ego and serve the food themselves," Ramakanthan says, trying to emphasise the minutest points they were trying to cover in the training.
Welcoming the initiative, Malappuram district panchayat president Suhara Mambadu says: "We have several women representatives who face a lot of pressure from family when they go for public activities. The trouble at home starts a few months after election... Men should be willing to share the domestic responsibilities of elected women. Otherwise, our performance as people's representative would definitely collapse."
Source: The Indian Express