Women and Power: Education, Religion and Identity

Appendices

Appendices Appendix I Assessment of Women’s Potential for Participating in Civic-Political Matters, and their Performance in the Public Sphere Positive View (the positive views were typical) Literate women said Women x are firm and stick to their guns; x are home builders; x are competent; x are tender-hearted, can manage resources and are focused; x are meticulous, mild, God- fearing and account for whatever they spend well; x are hardworking, honest, intelligent, straightforward and lovely; x are more sincere and honest in the offices than men; x are transparent and prudent; x are capable and dependable, and have no heart to steal; x are better managers and leaders; x have conscience and are sensitive to the feelings of the family and society; x are better managers of resources than men, I believe so much in women; x are honest in their commitment; x are even more capable than men; x at the helm of affairs scorn corruption and bribery; x Would not tolerate non-challant attitudes to duties and will not condone indiscipline; x Are more reliable than men, are not corrupt like men; x Will not overlook acts of indiscipline as leaders. Negative View (the negative views were atypical) Literate women said Women x are always humiliated in the society, may be sabotaged; x are too harsh; x since she is a woman, other members may not want to cooperate with her. Women and Power: Education, Religion and Identity 196 Semi-literate women said Women x will listen to us. They are gentle and nice; x have feelings; x can do better than men; x will not allow other women suffer; x can do things better than men; x have feelings as mothers, their breasts will react to grumblings; x can do things better than men; x are not callous and dictatorial, they possess milk of kindness x are not arrogant and dictatorial; x are wonderful, they use their God-given brain to ensure normalcy; x will know how to manage the country better than men; x will feel the suffering of the nation; x who is a mother will understand how to run this nation; x are aware of other women’s problems and will sort them out; x can do better; x will listen to advice; x know how to manage things; x have the milk of kindness; x stand by their words, their No is No; x are not stingy like men; x are trustworthy; x will understand other women and help us; x will bring peace; x are sympathetic, they think deeply, they will listen; x will effect changes in the economy; x will perform better than men x have milk of kindness and they are mothers; x are very good; x will take care of the women folk; x can make a change because they are mothers, they know where the shoe is pinching the women folk; x will help her counterparts who are suffering. Semi-literate women said Women x should not contest elections; x will go against the will of God , for God has made man the head; x can’t supervise people, she will be wicked; x will not be able to do what a man can do as governor or president; x will not be taken seriously. Appendices 197 Literate men said Women x are better managers of resources and good listeners; x are human beings like men; x are more prudent in management than men; x are equal to men in intellectual capability, more suited to discharging official functions than men; x are more dedicated to their jobs than men, not easily influenced to perpetuate evil, they are mothers, have love for all; x are considerate; x have the fear of God, they don’t have love of money like men; x will not be partial in taking decisions; x have the ability to lead, and some times, are better than men; x are trustworthy; x are considerate and play motherly role; x do better than men for they are meticulous; x can manage resources better than men; x can organize people better than men, for they are soft and outspoken; x are more responsive and attentive to issues than men; x know how to handle financial transactions and social activities than men; x tend to be more accountable and transparent than men; x make good managers as they can be very meticulous; x...