What is it about?

Ugandan women's rejection of a public bill to increase their agency in violent marriages was driven by rational economic interests, and by well-founded mistrust of political and legal systems. It should not be seen as an indication of their 'democratic inexperience'.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Much emphasis is put on the importance of involving socially excluded women in public deliberation to inform policy design. However the outcomes of such efforts may be unpredictable in situations where the complexity of women's lives lead them to reject overtly 'feminist' initiatives.

Perspectives

This case study highlights the complexities of well-intentioned feminist efforts to empower women through political and legal channels. Particularly where (i) economic inequalities impact on women's views of the political process in contradictory ways; and (ii) where women's previous experiences have led them to mistrust political and legal systems as guardians of their interests.

Prof Catherine Campbell
London School of Economics and Political Science

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Creating social policy to support women's agency in coercive settings: A case study from Uganda, Global Public Health, March 2015, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2015.1005654.
You can read the full text:

Read

Resources

Contributors

The following have contributed to this page