Context: Taking note of the historical perspective of barriers and challenges faced by women in participation in elections in the country, Chief Election Commissioner said women's participation in exercising franchise has exceeded that of men.

• These remarks comes during an international webinar on the theme ‘Enhancing electoral participation of Women, Persons with Disabilities and Senior citizen Voters: Sharing Best Practices and New Initiatives at New Delhi organized by the Election Commission of India.

He said

• "After 7 decades and 17 General Elections since Independence, women's participation in India has exceeded that of men and stood at more than 67 per cent in the 2019 General Election. 
• "The gender gap, a crucial parameter, which was -16.71 per cent in 1962, has not only closed but reversed to +0.17 per cent in 2019. In fact, India has witnessed a 235.72 per cent increase in female electors since the 1971 elections.

In most countries and territories, voting rights were granted to women in a piecemeal manner.

• The United States took 144 years to give equal voting rights to women, he pointed out.
• In India, women got the right to vote the year the country was born.

This does not obliviate the fact that many Indian women campaigned for equal right to vote. The Indian suffragette movement gathered momentum with the participation of more and more women in the freedom struggle.

• In the first ever general election of this country back in 1951-52, the ECI undertook special measures to facilitate women voters. To make women voters comfortable, at least one woman was appointed as polling staff at each polling station.
• Taking a holistic view of gender definitions, the EC included a provision whereby transgenders had the option of registering as third gender' in electoral rolls.

Various initiatives taken by the ECI to enhance women participation including 

• associating more women as polling booth officials, 
• a larger number of All Women Managed Polling Stations, 
• creche facility at Polling Stations, 
• separate toilets and waiting area at the polling booths, 
• ensuring ease of registration with women Block level Officers motivating women in their own socio-cultural milieu, amongst others.