Women are now being oppressed by their own men, who do not believe that we are capable of contributing meaningfully to the society in more ways than being child bearers'. Achieving the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision-making will provide a balance that more accurately reflects the composition of society and is needed in order to strengthen democracy and promote its proper functioning' (United Nations 1995: paragraph 181). If local government is to meet the needs of both women and men, it must build on the experiences of both women and men'. Less work has been done on the actual impact of women on the nature and work of legislated bodies.