When Hens Begin To Crow: Gender And Parliamentary Politics In Uganda / Edition 1

by Sylvia Tamale

Overview

Among African countries, Uganda is unique in its affirmative action program for women. In the late 1980s, President Yoweri Museveni announced his belief that Uganda's successful development depended on increased gender equity and backed his opinions by setting several women-centered policies in motion, including a 1989 rule that at least 39 seats in the Ugandan parliament be reserved for women.In this fascinating study, based on in-depth interviews with both male and female parliamentarians, women in nongovernmental organizations, and rural residents of Uganda, Sylvia Tamale explores how women's participation in Ugandan politics has unfolded and what the impact has been for gender equity. The book examines how women have adapted their legislative strategies for empowerment in light of Uganda's patriarchal history and social structure. The author also looks at the consequences and implications of women's parliamentary participation as a result of affirmative action handed down by the president, rather than pushed up from a grassroots movement.Although focusing on Uganda, Tamale's study is relevant to other African and non-African countries grappling with the twin challenges of democracy and development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813338965
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/13/2000
Series:	Gender and Parliamentary Politics in Contemporary Uganda
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1370L (what's this?)

About the Author

Sylvia Tamale is senior lecturer in the Department of Law and Jurisprudence at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Table of Contents

* Introduction * Profiles of Five Political Women * Gender and the Politics of Parliamentary Representation * Women in the Parliamentary Electoral Process * The Gender Dynamics of Intraparliamentary Politics * Womens Legislative Activities Inside Parliament: Trends and Directions * Into the Trenches: Women Legislators and Their Constituents * Media-ted Portrayals of Women Politicians * Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

Addressing a perceived gap in studies of women in postcolonial Africa, Tamale (law, Makerere U., Kampala, Uganda) investigates how gender affects women in contemporary Ugandan politics. The author was inspired by the "herstories"(oral histories) of pioneers of the Ugandan women's movement, and by a 1989 affirmative action policy guaranteeing the election of a minimum number of women representatives to the national legislature. She places the interviews with female and male legislators and feminist activists in the context of sociohistory and female empowerment strategies. Appends a glossary of African terms and reflections on methodology. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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