A management course for women politicians: UN Women partners with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
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The group of young women and special guests gathered for the inauguration ceremony. Photo credit © Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
Bangalore, 15 July 2012: Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, originally set up to provide managers for the public sector, has embarked upon a novel experiment and has launched an executive diploma course for women politicians, with the support of UN Women.
The course aims to equip aspiring women leaders with the requisite skills and expertise in governance, and strengthen their ability to contest elections, lobby for women’s rights and strengthen the overall network of politically active women across India. Anchored under the Centre for Public Policy at IIM Bangalore, this course is implemented in partnership with the Centre for Social Research, New Delhi.
Address by Mr. Suraj Kumar, Head Governance Programme, UN Women South Asia. Photo credit © Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
At the launch, Suraj Kumar, from UN Women, underlined the importance of women taking control of political power so their voices can be heard in all spheres of life. “The explicit focus of the UN Women programme is to train women to run for public office. Focusing on women in leadership is a very important aspect of gender equality”, he explains.
Her Excellency, Smt. Margaret Alva, Governor of Rajasthan, inaugurated the programme and spoke passionately of her direct experience of running for public office. “Women bear the brunt at every level. We need to stop perpetuating the mindset that women are not good enough”, she said. She encouraged course participants to prioritize building a strong support base within their respective political parties, as support from the party was crucial in ensuring the success of female candidates who don’t have access to the funds and muscle power.
Dr. Kumari, Director of the Centre for Social Research, was also present at the inauguration. “Not only are there too few women in Indian politics, but women also face different barriers and disadvantages in their quest to become leading politicians in India. Therefore, women in politics need specialized skills and strategies in order to win elections and pursue the policies that matter most to them,” he said.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2009 Gender Gap Index, India ranks 24 out of 135 countries for women’s political participation. Women hold a mere 10% of seats in India’s parliament which also reflects their lack of participation in the decision-making process. The representation of women in the Central Cabinet is even lower. Out of the 34 Cabinet Ministers, only two are women and out of 44 Ministers of State, there are only six women.
The India-Women in Leadership (i-WIL) programme aims to correct this imbalance by equipping participants with appropriate training in political action, policy analysis, personal development and perspective and ideology. As many as 30 women from across eight states of India, who are actively engaged in politics or want to get involved in political activities, have joined this ten-week leadership certificate programme. Dr. Agarwal is one of those women: “I hope that the i-WIL programme will helm me, complement my theoretical political knowledge with practical aspects, and enable me to begin serious work in the field”, she says. “For me, i-WIL represents an opportunity for capacity building, boosting self-confidence, augmenting my knowledge and gaining exposure to different issues”, adds Hemashree Siddappaji, another participant in the programme.
UN Women South Asia is supporting this course by making sure that participants gain a strong foundation in the principles of gender equality and women’s rights. The programme will equip participants with appropriate training in political action, policy analysis, personal development and perspective and ideology. The course will include lectures, field visits, and other activities like Model Parliament, Film Series, and a week each of intensive exposure visits in Delhi and Singapore.