FEMALE COUNCILLORS AND THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Abstract

The global pursuit of Gender equality has popularly been coupled by strategies aimed at increasing female politicians, in effort to enhance the inclusion of women’s interests in development. This study assessed the extent to which female councillors’ gender resemblance enhances the representation of women’s development interests in local governance. Utilizing Pitkin’s, and Critical Mass theories of representation, a mixed methods inquiry was conducted across three local governments in Malawi, to study: (i) Predominant patterns in how representation is modelled amid constituents, and male and female councillors; (ii) Policy prioritisation patterns amid constituents and male and female councillors;; (iii) and the differential impact of female councillors’ gender resemblance and critical in enhancing the representation of women’s interests in local development and governance. While uncovering that representation, and the dynamics that influence its modelling amid constituents, and male and female councillors, are quite divergent; and that women’s interests are largely non-homogeneous across diverse classes; the study found that female councillor’s gender resemblance narrowly enhanced the representation of women’s interests local development planning. At large, the policy priorities of most individual councillors, were more influenced by their communities’ general characterisation of development; regardless of whether such characterisation was gender equitable or not. The study also found that, the adoption of women’s interests in congressional settings of development planning was barely mediated by female councillor’s resemblance and critical masses, being largely subject to political party priorities and the friendliness of institutional policies and measures. The study, thus demonstrated that without: strategic institutional measures, and in-depth sensitisation of the public in gender equality; most politicians, being voter-driven, are likely to prioritise as their publics even at the expense of gender equality. The study also exposed an inherent contradiction in the notion of utilizing geographically mandated positions such as councillors, to champion the interests of a chosen section (women), at the expense of the multiplicity of constituency interests that such positions come with.