What’s the news?

• The BJP government presented the Women’s Reservation Bill as its top priority in the newly inaugurated Parliament House.

Central idea

• The 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2023, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, proposes reserving one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the bill as a historic decision and framed it as a divine mandate to empower women. The Lok Sabha, after a day of deliberations, passed the bill.

Historical Context

• The Women’s Reservation Bill has a long and arduous history.
• It was initially introduced in 1996 by the H.D. Deve Gowda-led United Front government but failed to gain approval.
• Subsequent attempts to pass the bill faced similar fates, lapsing with the dissolution of houses.

Key Provisions of the Bill

• Reservation Percentage: The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, proposes 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies.
• Inclusion of Marginalized Groups: The reservation also includes seats reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Constitutional Amendments: The Bill introduces new articles, 330A and 332A, in the Constitution specifically for Lok Sabha and state assemblies, respectively.
• Duration of Reservation: The proposed reservation will be in effect for 15 years from the commencement of the Act.
• Dependence on Delimitation: Implementation of the reservation is contingent upon the completion of the delimitation process.

The current representation of women

• Parliament:

• As of now, the Lok Sabha has only 82 women members, constituting 15% of its total strength.
• India has never seen a higher representation of women in its Parliament, even after over 70 years of electoral history.
• In the 2019 general election, the share of women candidates was a mere 9%.

• State Legislative Assemblies:

• The situation in state legislative assemblies is even bleaker, with only Tripura surpassing the 15% mark.
• Over 20 states and Union Territories have less than 10% women representation, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka.

Party-wise Analysis

• Women’s representation across different political parties in the Lok Sabha

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Currently, women make up just 13.5% of the BJP’s Lok Sabha members.
• Biju Janata Dal (BJD): BJD leads in women’s representation, with 41.7% of its Lok Sabha MPs being women.
• Trinamool Congress: Trinamool Congress follows closely, with 40.9% women MPs in the Lok Sabha.

• Distribution of women MLAs in State Legislative Assemblies

• West Bengal (Trinamool Congress): The Trinamool Congress in West Bengal boasts the highest percentage of women MLAs, standing at 15.3%.
• Chhattisgarh (Congress): The Congress party in Chhattisgarh has 14.7% women MLAs, demonstrating a significant presence of women in the state assembly.

• Political parties that lag behind in terms of women’s representation

• Karnataka (Congress): The Congress party in Karnataka has only 3% women MLAs, indicating a significant gender disparity.
• Telangana (Bharat Rashtra Samithi): The Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana fares similarly poorly, with just 3.4% of women MLAs.
• Tamil Nadu (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, DMK): DMK in Tamil Nadu has a relatively low representation of women MLAs, with only 4.5% women in the state assembly.

Just to know:  

• The highest proportion of women representatives elected to the Lok Sabha so far was in the 2019 elections, and it was less than 15 percent of total
• The number of women candidates and MPs varies greatly across states and parties.
• In the present Lok Sabha (17^th), Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have the highest numbers of women MPs. In terms of percentage, Goa and Manipur had fielded the highest proportion of women candidates.

India’s parliamentary representation of women compared to other nations

• India: India’s current women’s representation in parliament stands at a modest 15%, which, although an improvement, remains relatively low.
• Iran: India ranks just above Iran, which has only 6% women representation in its parliament.
• South Africa: In contrast, South Africa has made significant strides in women’s representation, with a considerably higher proportion of women in its national legislature.
• Ethiopia: Ethiopia has also seen remarkable progress in gender parity within its national legislatures.

Challenges to Female Representation

• Party Ticket Allocation: Despite pledges in party constitutions, records show that women candidates receive disproportionately fewer party tickets, often relying on family political connections.
• Perceived Electability: The belief that women candidates are less likely to win elections hampers their ticket allocation.
• Structural Barriers: Demanding and time-consuming election campaigns, coupled with family responsibilities, deter many women from active participation.
• Vulnerability: Women politicians face humiliation, abuse, and threats, making participation even more challenging.
• Financial Constraints: High campaign costs, limited financial independence, and a lack of party support create hurdles for women candidates.
• Internalized Patriarchy: Many women prioritize family and household duties over political ambitions due to ingrained patriarchal norms.

Need for such a reservation

• Ensuring Representation: Reservation guarantees women’s presence in decision-making bodies, addressing underrepresentation.
• Encouraging Entry: Reservation encourages women to enter politics, contest elections, and engage in the political process.
• Capacity Building: Participation in legislative processes enhances women’s political capacity, nurturing effective leaders.
• Changing Perceptions: Reservation shifts societal attitudes toward women in politics, challenging stereotypes and promoting participation.
• Promoting Gender-Sensitive Policies: Women politicians advocate for gender-sensitive policies addressing issues like violence against women and discrimination.

Conclusion

• The passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill marks a historic moment in Indian politics. Achieving gender parity in political representation is a vital step towards a more inclusive democracy. It is imperative that all stakeholders work together to ensure the effective implementation of this landmark legislation and uplift women’s voices in the decision-making process.

Also read:

73rd and 74th Amendments and Reservation for Women

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