Context: Participation of women in Indian politics has been a subject of extensive discourse among scholars. While India has produced several influential women leaders, the overall political engagement among women remains poor.
Relevance of the Topic:Mains: Political Participation of Women in India- Key Trends & Challenges.
Contemporary Trends
- Women’s voter turnout has remained significantly lower than men’s for decades. In many Western democracies the gender gap in political participation started narrowing in the 1990s, while India witnessed this shift much later in 2010, influenced by socio-political changes.
- Despite the increase in voter turnout, their representation in legislative bodies and deeper political involvement in party affairs remains limited.
Reasons for Low Participation in Past:
- Patriarchal society: In Indian society politics has been traditionally viewed as a male-dominated sphere. Women are often discouraged from engaging in political discussions or assuming leadership roles.
- Influence of Family and Caste/Community: Women, particularly in rural areas, are often treated as passive voters. Their political and voting choices are often shaped by the male members of their families.
- Structural challenges such as difficulties in voter registration, mobility constraints after marriage, lack of voter awareness, often contribute to lower participation rates compared to men.
- Political violence: Women face safety concerns when participating in political events, campaigns and exercising their right to vote in certain regions where violence and intimidation are prevalent.
Women as Voters- Emerging Trends
- Increase in voter turnout: Women’s voter turnout has seen a steady increase since the 2010s, often surpassing male voter turnout in some states.
- Role of Welfare Schemes: Political parties target women voters through welfare schemes such as Ujjwala (free LPG connections), PM Awas Yojana (housing benefits), and Ladli Behna (financial support) in which women are direct beneficiaries.
- Voting choices: Studies have shown that a growing number of women are making independent voting decisions. However, about 14% still seek advice from their spouses or male family members, reflecting the influence of patriarchal norms.
- Self-Empowerment hypothesis: Rise in female literacy and employment opportunities are often cited as a reason for increasing political participation. Educated women are more likely to vote and engage in political discourse.
- Male migration: In many states, large-scale male migration has resulted in a higher proportion of women voters, particularly in economically backward regions where men migrate for work.
- State-Specific voting trends: Women’s voting behavior is shaped by regional political contexts. For example, in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, regional political movements influence women’s electoral choices more than national trends.
- Efforts by the Election Commission, like targeted campaigns, to ensure higher female voter registration and participation, have contributed to increased voter turnout.
Key Data on Women Political Representation:
- Women had a higher turnout than men in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, with 65.8% participating compared to men's 65.6%.
- The total number of women contesting general elections in the country has increased from 3% in 1957 to 10% in 2024.
- Women representation in Lok Sabha has increased from 5% in the first Lok Sabha to 15% in the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24).
- Women constitute approximately 14% of the Members of Parliament (75 women MPs) in the 18th Lok Sabha (2024-29).
- In the Rajya Sabha, the total number of women members in 1952 was 15, which is 39 in 2024, approximately 17% of the total members.
- India has about 14.5 lakh Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which is about 46% of the total elected representatives.
- There are 21 States in India that have provision for 50% reservation for women in PRIs, as against the constitutional mandate of minimum 33% reservation for women.
- The enactment of the 106th Constitutional Amendment, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam mandates 33% reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies across the country, including the legislature of the UTs of Delhi and Puducherry.
Way Forward
- Political parties must ensure greater inclusion of women in leadership roles, moving beyond token representation.
- Increased awareness campaigns can help women understand their rights, interests and the significance of their political participation.
- Policy reforms: Moving beyond welfare schemes in which women are passive recipients to policies that genuinely empower women as decision-makers and stakeholders in governance.
- Addressing structural barriers such as voter registration gaps, mobility constraints that hinder women’s active political engagement with the help of ECI.
- Extending women’s reservation to state and national legislatures could significantly enhance their political representation and influence. (From women development to women-led development as proposed by Nari Sakti Adhiniyam 2023).
While women’s voter turnout has increased, their overall political participation in India remains constrained. A holistic approach is necessary to ensure that women transition from being mere voters to active political agents.