ABSTRACT
Based on the categories developed in the previous chapter, this chapter moves the analysis to the narratives from the five women who had established themselves as independent parshads and the eight women parshads who operated within cooperative arrangements. The stories of the independent women parshads feature several women who entered political office as the primary decision-makers. Others arrived in more cooperative or parshad-pati arrangements but then asserted themselves. Regardless, there were significant challenges and dramatic responsibilities imposed on these women who chose to take on the parshad office single-handedly. Despite often having considerably less political experience than their colleagues, these women embraced their roles and often made a notable effort to reach out specifically to women and children in need within their constituencies. The chapter then moves on to the women parshads in cooperative arrangements. These women describe governing in a partnership with their husbands or advisors. To balance domestic and familial obligations, they have formed joint working relationships to spread the load of responsibilities. These relationships can be more segregated, with the parshad only taking on specific duties that she is comfortable with, or more broadly shared, with both partners engaging jointly in a range of parshad activities.
