The 'affirmative action' policy that's placed women into these positions of power in Indian villages is definitely a step in the right direction - but it's also problematic. As the author pinpoints, it doesn't actually change the social climate that prevents these women from being 'successful' in the eyes of their community. Now to put forward a theory as to why this is happening... It's a fact that in some villages, these female pradhans are set up by powerful men in the community to serve as figureheads or puppet leaders. This is still widely known (and accepted) and likely has an impact on how people perceive their female pradhans, even in villages where they are serving effectively and of their own accord... How can the villagers trust that their female pradhan is the real deal and truly working in their best interest? Time and experience, I guess...

SS but that assertion is questioned by the key fact that public services are better where there is a woman in power. If the woman was entirely a figurehead for a man, why would public services be better when they are in office?

Oh I'm not saying that women ALWAYS serve as figureheads or even the majority of the time. There are certainly plenty of strong female leaders acting of their own accord, doing a fantastic job, as stated in the article. However, I'm more looking at WHY there's an assumption that these female leaders (wheter or not they're doing a good or bad job) are incompetent. And the reason, in my opinion, is this figurehead/puppet leader issue. There were cases of government officials checking in on villages to make sure they were meeting the reservations (certain percentage of female leaders) only to find that some women were serving as their husband's mouthpiece... I think cases like this, while maybe not the norm, have affected public perception. And as a result, the burden of proof falls on women leaders to prove that they are capable, while for men the assumption is that they are competent until proven otherwise.

ss I think you needn't look further than corporate America to see why women in leadership roles have more to prove than men.

Ugh, so true... You're right, I'm thinking too hard! The answers are right under our noses every single day...