Gender, ethnicity and political participation: a case study of women in the Tamilnadu legislative assembly

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Abstract

Explores the hypothesis that ethnicity affects the nature of women's participation in electoral politics in the state in two distinct ways: a) controls on female behavior aimed at protecting group boundaries strengthen female dependence on male kinship ties for access to political activities; and b) norms of Tamil femininity constrain and limit the tenure of those women who may attempt entry into electoral politics. The research focusses on the experiences of some of the women members of the current Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly. It argues that in Tamilnadu, some women have been able to make use of existing ethnic group norms of female behaviors to advance their political careers even as these norms restrict their political activities in other ways. -from Author

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)282-303
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Third World Studies
Volume11
Issue number1
StatePublished - Jan 1 1994
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Development
  • Political Science and International Relations

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