Considers how women & men manage & organize the processes of urban governance in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, & London, UK, reporting findings from in-depth interviews & discussions with both female & male politicians & administrators (Ns not specified). Results suggest, contrary to the prevailing view, that women & men operate in both different & similar ways. (1) Women & men are both capable of operating in caring & aggressive ways & both display a concern for the duties of office. (2) However, it is argued that women generally enact the processes of office in different ways than men, balancing responsibilities of home, paid work, & office with no real demarcation between public & private realms, while men tend to compartmentalize their lives, dealing with different aspects of home, paid work, & office in turn, with little or no overlap between them. (3) It is shown that there is a tendency for men to objectify relationships & act more abstractly in their dealings with others, while women treat relationships as social situations to be (re)negotiated over time using a range of styles that can be characterized as both tender & tough, with women seen as flexible, competent, approachable, & highly respected by all concerned. Implications are considered for women's increasing presence in local governance. 61 References. Adapted from the source document.