In the newly inaugurated Parliament House, the BJP government made the Women’s Reservation Bill its top priority.
The main idea
- The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, or 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2023, proposes reserving one-third of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies seats for women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the measure as a watershed moment, describing it as a divine mandate to empower women. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha following a day of consideration.
Historical Background
- The history of the Women’s Reservation Bill is lengthy and arduous.
- It was first proposed in 1996 by the H.D. Deve Gowda-led United Front government, but it was not approved.
- Subsequent attempts to enact the law met with the same fate, collapsing with the dissolution of the Houses.
Key Bill Provisions
- Reservation Percentage: The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures.
- Marginalised Groups Included: The reservation also includes seats allotted for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- Constitutional Amendments: The Bill adds additional provisions 330A and 332A to the Constitution, which are expressly for the Lok Sabha and state legislatures, respectively.
- Reservation Period: The proposed reservation will be in place for 15 years from the date the Act is passed.
- Delimitation Dependence: Reservation implementation is subject on the completion of the delimitation process.
The current representation of women
Parliament:
- The Lok Sabha currently has only 82 female members, accounting for 15% of its overall strength.
- Even after more than 70 years of election history, India has never had a higher representation of women in its Parliament.
- In the 2019 general election, women made up only 9% of the candidates.
State Legislative assembly:
- The picture is considerably bleaker in state legislative assembly, with only Tripura exceeding the 15% mark.
- Over 20 states and union territories, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka, have less than 10% female participation.
Analysis by Party
Women’s presence in the Lok Sabha across political parties
- BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party): Women currently make up only 13.5% of the BJP’s Lok Sabha MPs.
- Biju Janata Dal (BJD): With 41.7% of its Lok Sabha MPs being women, the BJD leads in women’s representation.
- Trinamool Congress: Trinamool Congress comes in second, with 40.9% of Lok Sabha women MPs.
Female representation in State Legislative Assemblies
- West Bengal (Trinamool Congress): The Trinamool Congress has the greatest percentage of female MLAs, with 15.3%.
- Chhattisgarh (Congress): The Congress party has 14.7% female MLAs in Chhattisgarh, indicating a considerable presence of women in the state assembly.
- Political parties that fall short in terms of female representation
- Karnataka (Congress): The Congress party has only 3% female MLAs in Karnataka, demonstrating a considerable gender disparity.
- Telangana (Bharat Rashtra Samithi): Telangana’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi performs similarly poorly, with only 3.4% of MLAs being women.
- Tamil Nadu (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, DMK): The DMK has a comparatively low presence of women MLAs in Tamil Nadu, with only 4.5% of the state assembly made up of women.
Women’s parliamentary presence in India in comparison to other countries
- India: Women are now represented in parliament at a modest 15%, which, while an increase, remains quite low.
- Iran: India ranks barely above Iran, which has only 6% female parliamentarians.
- South African Republic: South Africa, on the other hand, has made considerable progress in female representation, with a far higher number of women in its national legislature.
- Ethiopia has also made significant progress towards gender balance in its national legislatures..
Challenges to Female Representation
- Party Ticket Allocation: Despite guarantees in party constitutions, data reveal that women candidates receive disproportionately fewer party tickets, sometimes relying on family political connections.
- Perceived Electability: Women’s ticket allocation is hampered by the perception that they are less likely to win elections.
- Barriers in the Structure: Election campaigns that are demanding and time-consuming, combined with family commitments, discourage many women from actively participating.
- Women politicians face humiliation, harassment, and threats, making involvement even more difficult.
- Financial Restriction: Women candidates face challenges due to high campaign expenditures, restricted financial independence, and a lack of party support.
- Internalised Patriarchy: Because of engrained patriarchal traditions, many women prioritise family and household chores over political goals.
Need for such a reservation
- Ensuring Representation: Reservation ensures women’s participation in decision-making bodies, hence addressing underrepresentation.
- Reservation promotes women to enter politics, run for office, and participate in the political process.
- Participation in legislative processes increases women’s political potential, fostering competent leaders.
- Reservation alters public attitudes towards women in politics, challenging preconceptions and encouraging participation.
- Promoting Gender-Sensitive Policies: Women politicians campaign for policies that address concerns such as violence against women and discrimination.
@the end
The Women’s Reservation Bill’s passage marked a watershed point in Indian politics. Gender equality in political representation is a critical step towards a more inclusive democracy. It is critical that all parties collaborate to guarantee the successful implementation of this groundbreaking legislation and to elevate women’s voices in decision-making.
Source: https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/19-state-legislatures-have-less-than-10-women-lawmakers-says-government-data/articleshow/96153759.cms