Local Governance and Women’s Empowerment: Explaining the Capacity of Non-Governmental Organization in Marginalized Urban Settlements of Zahedan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Sistan And Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

2 Ms.c. Student in Sociology, Department of Social Science, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Sistan And Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

Abstract

Objective: Effective and inclusive local governance, particularly in marginalized urban settlements, depends on the capacity of local and civil society institutions to establish participatory mechanisms, promote equitable access to resources and services, and strengthen the agency of disadvantaged groups, including women. Within this framework, civil society organizations and associations serve as key actors in local governance by expanding opportunities for participation, strengthening social networks, and enhancing collective action capacities. These institutions can facilitate women’s meaningful engagement in local decision-making and development processes while contributing to the enhancement of their individual, social, and economic empowerment in marginalized communities. The main purpose of the current research is to investigate the impact of NGOs in empowering women on the outskirts of Zahedan city. In this research, five main factors os NGOs active in the field of women, including the provision of support services, education, health and entrepreneurship and trust in women's empowerment are examined.
Methods: The research method is a survey and the researcher made a questionnaire collection tool. The statistical population under study is women over 15 years of age from Shirabad neighborhood of Zahedan, who received services through active non-governmental organizations in this neighborhood. The sample size was determined by the Cochran formula of 366 people and by the cluster sampling method. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and formal method. Both questionnaires of non-governmental organizations and women's empowerment and each of its dimensions have good reliability based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was done using spss 21 software.
Results: Among the components of women's empowerment, based on the average, the individual empowerment component was at a higher level, the economic empowerment component was at an average level, and the social empowerment component was at a low level. In examining the correlation between the variable of women's empowerment and the independent variables of the research, respectively, there is a significant relationship between the variables of trust in NGOs, economical services, support services, educational services, and women's empowerment as a whole. The highest correlation between the variables of trust in civil institutions was with the variable of women's empowerment and the lowest correlation was between the variable of women's empowerment with the variable of health services, and there was no significant correlation between these two variables. In total, NGOs in different dimensions can explain 28% of the total changes in the empowerment of women in the suburbs of Zahedan.
Conclusions: The results of the research showed that NGOs have a significant impact on the empowerment of women in Shirabad. According to the results of the research, the level of trust in NGOs has a significant effect on the empowerment of women. The more women trust NGOs and act in accordance with the programs and goals of these institutions, the more likely they are to succeed and increase their empowerment. Education can increase women's empowerment by improving skills and become the basis for increasing opportunities and choices for women. Therefore, due to the lack of facilities in the underprivileged areas of Zahedan city and cultural issues that lead to the lack of progress of women in these areas, and considering financial, social, psychological, legal and family problems legal, which expose these women, it is suggested to take into account these conditions, precise and professional supports and actions in different dimensions.
Keywords: Local Governance, Empowerment, women, Community-Based Governance, NGOs.

References

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Governance and Development
Volume 6, Issue 2
August 2026
Pages 177-157

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