What stops women leaders in Tamil Nadu from moving up the political ladder

In the two decades since the 33% reservation for women in local governance, at least 18,244 women from general category have become panchayat heads in Tamil Nadu

Salma (50), the deputy secretary of the women’s wing of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), is among the few women to have made the transition from rural governance to mainstream politics in Tamil Nadu. Most other women have no choice but to retreat into their homes at the end of their five-year stint as panchayat chiefs.

Salma, a celebrated Tamil poet and novelist, believes that it was her literary talent that caught her the biggest break in her life. During the course of her term as the