COMMUNITY POLITICS AND GENDER : A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF "WELFARE POLICY FOR THE AGED" BETWEEN FEMALE AND MALE COUNCILLORS

2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 10610214
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: KOBE GAKUIN UNIVERSITY (1999-2000); Setsunan University (1998)
• Principal Investigator: KASUGU Masashi KOBE GAKUIN UNIVERSITY, PROFESSOR, 人文学部, 教授 (90152660)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAKEYASU Hideko KYOTO WOMEN UNIVERSITY, PROFESSOR, 現代社会学部, 教授 (70131414)
• Project Period (FY): 1998 – 2000
• Keywords: COMMUNITY POLITICS / GENDER / COMMUNITY WELFARE / WOMEN COUNCILLORS

Research Abstract

Our aim of this research was, using the method of life history, to interview with female councillors (including some ex-councillors) and to collect the voices which reflect their real intentions. It became clear that the most female councillors had some special problems which male councillors have never experienced. One of the most important problem was their feeling as a minority group in the assembly. It might cause powerlessness for them in the decsion-making processes. Though there were a certain number of female councillors in some councils, it didn't mean they could fall into step for resolving some problems or taking issues. Although it was undoubted that the number of women councillors have increased in many councils and they become, by little and little, to reflect their intentions on policy making processes, but the general situation of women councillors still remained worse. Now we consider that the voices from women councillors provide an important key to resolve the gender structure in community politics.