Introduction:

• Elections for the 17th Lok Sabha will probably be announced in early March. However, there is no attention being paid to the number of womenin Parliament.

Key facts:

• India ranks 153 out of 190 nations in the percentage of women in the lower house of world parliaments.
• Rwanda ranks first with 61% of its lower house representatives being women.
• As a region, Nordic countries are leaders with an average of about 40%.
• The UK and the US are relative laggards with 32% and 23%, respectively.
• Even Pakistan with 20% participation from women is ahead of India.
• India had 65 women out of 545 members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the 16th Lok Sabha, for a 12% representation.
• Before, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha elections, representation of Indian women MPs since Independence has been stagnant under 9%.

Pic: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/img/68026377/Master.jpg

Why poor number of women parliamentarians matters?

• Total seats are allocated to states based on their population. Women’s representation at 12% is far below the actual population of women. So, on grounds of fairness, this is an anomaly. Women must have half the seats at the highest political tables simply because they are half the population.
• A fully representative Parliament allows the different experiences of genders to craft priorities and shape the economic and social future of a democratic society.
• Law and policy in India are in dire need of women’s perspectives.
• Studies suggest that a greater representation of women in elected office balances the process and prioritizations that elected bodies focus on.
• Inclusion of women has brought changes in policy style, agenda and outcomes. For instance, in terms of policy styles, the inclusion of women adds behind the scenes discussion rather than direct confrontation on the floor of the House.

Solutions to increase the number of women parliamentarians

Solutions usually take three forms:

• quotas for women in Parliament;
• reservation for women in political parties;
• awareness, education and role modelling that encourage women towards politics.

The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution reserve one-third of local body seats for women.

However, reservation for one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha has been tabled as a bill several times until as recently as 2008. Each time the bill has lapsed.

India should have an Election Commission-led effort to encourage reservation for women in political parties.

Reservation in political parties will also require education, encouragement, and role-modelling for women to aspire to a political role as it is in the party’s interest to ensure that their candidate wins.

Conclusion:

India has had a long-serving woman prime minister and several women chief ministers and speakers of the House. Yet its record of women parliamentarians is woefully poor. For a balanced future for the country, this trend needs to be changed.