Social Equity through Women’s Empowerment: Women’s Participation in Local Politics, Budgeting and Decision-Making in Bangladesh

The paper explores the gender dimensions of social equity and social equity budgeting (SEB) by investigating women’s inclusion in local politics, budgeting and decision-making in Bangladesh. Quotas for women representatives are reserved at each successive level of local government in Bangladesh, and their active participation in local politics and budgeting is encouraged. The data for the paper were derived from in-depth interviews with local actors and direct observations, while the findings were analysed using the four dimensions of social equity. The findings of the study provide insights into the experiences of local community actors with gender quota requirements, the barriers they faced, the enabling strategies and agencies that female politicians have adopted to counter them, and their outcomes. It thus demonstrates how social equity can be achieved through partial empowerment in developing country contexts. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of considering the ‘intersectional perspective’ in the study of SEB in developing country contexts, given that women’s access, participation, and outcomes are contingent upon both their individual status and the status of their families within their communities. This suggests the potential relevance of an intersectional interpretation of the results, wherein social status interacts with gender to shape women’s lived experiences in different ways. Recognising the structural dynamics is, therefore, essential to current debates on SEB and how its principles can be meaningfully embedded into local governance.