Kerala’s People’s Plan Campaign marked a decisive shift toward decentralised governance and participatory planning. One of the most notable consequences has been the visible entry of women into decision-making structures at the local level. This paper examines the social impact of women's participation in local self-government institutions and investigates whether educational attainment shapes their level of participation. Primary data were collected from 120 elected women representatives drawn from panchayats, municipalities and corporations across Kerala. A participation index was constructed and subjected to reliability testing. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and chi-square analysis were used to examine associations between participation and socio-demographic factors. Results show that decentralisation has strengthened women’s engagement in welfare monitoring, local dispute resolution and service delivery. The chi-square results demonstrate a significant association between education and participation, and supplementary analysis indicates that training exposure further enhances leadership behaviour. The study concludes that institutional spaces created by decentralisation have widened democratic inclusion, but substantive empowerment depends on continuous capacity development and support systems.