Abstract

Malawi is a landlocked country located in south-east Africa which became a democracy in 1994. Malawi practices multi-party which promotes local governments and provides for democratic governance of the people at the local level. In the climate of today‘s society, gender and identity are issues that are highly discussed and contended for a mirage of reasons. Although women constitute half of the population, there is underrepresentation in the policy making spheres. To date, research and advocacy in Malawi have paid more attention to women‘s descriptive representation. The main objective of this study was to investigate the gendered leadership in policy prioritization in local government councils. Specifically; to assess the policies that have been prioritized by male dominated and female dominated councils; secondly to examine policy interest of male and female councillors and lastly to evaluate the factors driving the agenda for council meetings. The study employed a qualitative approach with a focus on Balaka and Machinga District Councils. The study found mixed conclusions. On the one hand, at an institutional level it appears that the presence of women or lack thereof has no bearing on a council prioritizing women focused polices as seen with Balaka District Council. On the other hand, at an individual level, it is evident that men and women have different interests however this does not always translate that interest into policy. This was found to be due to gender; where women are not as likely to speak up to what they really believe in, party politics and the institutional framework where councilors do not have a sense of institution and political party empowerment. The implication resulted in most women councilors not going ahead to contend for the office of councilor for the next election cycle.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2022

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