{"id":14026,"date":"2023-09-13T11:11:15","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T11:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devsolu.wwfares.com\/?p=14026"},"modified":"2023-09-18T07:23:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T07:23:03","slug":"bio-medical-waste-management-in-india-challenges-and-measures-for-better-management-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/bio-medical-waste-management-in-india-challenges-and-measures-for-better-management-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Indian Politics: Participation versus representation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"14026\" class=\"elementor elementor-14026\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c28b25c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c28b25c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-717dc33\" data-id=\"717dc33\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90b7e77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"90b7e77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.6.8 - 27-07-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#818a91;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#818a91;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Over the years, the participation of women in Indian politics has increased significantly. However, it has yet to translate into a significant representation of women. While there have been pronouncements by the political parties of voluntary reservation for women in seats, nothing much has happened. The women&#8217;s reservation bill is still being debated and is unlikely to become law soon. The rationale for having more women representatives is that it facilitates the representation of specific interests of women in policies and programs.<\/p><p>The note details the participation and representation of women in Indian politics and why, despite increased participation, women&#8217;s representation in politics remains low.<\/p><p>While political participation and representation transcend electoral politics, for this note, it is restricted to electoral politics.<\/p><p><u>Participation and representation of women in politics<\/u><\/p><p><span style=\"color: inherit;\">For this note, participation includes membership in political parties, campaigning for candidates, and voting during the elections. Representation is contesting the elections and being an elected\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">representative.<\/span><\/p><p>There is no publicly available data on political party membership or the number of women campaigning in elections. However, a study by the Center for Study in Developing Societies indicated that women&#8217;s participation in election rallies, campaigns, door-to-door meetings, and distribution of pamphlets<br \/>increased between 1996 and 2019, more so between 2014 and 2019.<\/p><p>The data on women voters available in the public domain indicates that the proportion of women voters has increased significantly over the years. In 1962, only 47% of the women registered as\u00a0voters voted in the election. In 2019, it increased to 67.2%. The increase has been steady (Graph 1)<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d0c957a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d0c957a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6a1d8d5\" data-id=\"6a1d8d5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42ffb95 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"42ffb95\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.6.8 - 27-07-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"383\" src=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph1-1024x383.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph1-1024x383.png 1024w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph1-300x112.png 300w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph1-768x288.png 768w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph1-600x225.png 600w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph1.png 1039w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-838b2a8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"838b2a8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e20cc75\" data-id=\"e20cc75\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c892034 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c892034\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/div><ol><li><i>The data for this note is mainly drawn from the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India (GOI). Women and Men in India, 2022. 24th issue.<\/i><\/li><li><i>It is interesting to see the elections where there was a significant spike in the proportion of women out of the total women voters who voted- 1967 and 1984 (following the demise of major leaders \u2013 Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi) and 2014 (Prime Minister Modi contesting the first time in a parliamentary election).<\/i><\/li><\/ol><p>The difference in the turnout of women and men in the elections was about 15% in 1962. In 2019, the proportion of registered women voters voting in the election was marginally higher than that of men (Graph 2). The trendline indicates that the difference between women and men registered voters voting in elections has steadily declined. This fact is often held up to indicate that the elections in India are gender-inclusive.<\/p><p>However, is the participation translated into the representation of women in politics?<\/p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Representation of Women in the Parliament<\/span><br \/>Between 1962 and 2019, the number of women contestants increased by ten times. However, the smaller and regional parties have contributed to this increase. The number of women candidates fielded by the two major national parties4 has mostly stayed the same between 2004 and 2019. In 2019, the number of female candidates accounted for only about 12% in both these parties (Graph 3).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-44a1d22 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"44a1d22\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-67227a1\" data-id=\"67227a1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ddef737 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ddef737\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph2-1024x456.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph2-1024x456.png 1024w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph2-300x133.png 300w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph2-768x342.png 768w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph2-600x267.png 600w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph2.png 1045w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cf216a2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cf216a2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4b86146\" data-id=\"4b86146\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c6f1cce elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c6f1cce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Over the years, the proportion of women contestants elected as Members of the Parliament (MPs) to the Lok Sabha has declined. Only about 10% of the women who contested for the MP post were elected in the last three parliamentary elections (Graph 4). The decline is partially also due to the increase in women contestants. As mentioned above, the number of women contestants increased ten times between 1962 and 2019. While there has been an increase in number, it has not resulted in a commensurate proportion of women getting elected to the Lok Sabha. The proportion of elected women MPs was always less than 10 percent between 1962 and 2009. It increased marginally in 2014, and only in 2019, close to 14% of elected Lok Sabha representatives were women (Graph 5). The representation of women in the Rajya Sabha, too, is not significant.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c0b95dc elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c0b95dc\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-eb624ed\" data-id=\"eb624ed\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d68b32 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0d68b32\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2.png 994w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2-768x382.png 768w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2-600x298.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f05851d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f05851d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-79aa35c\" data-id=\"79aa35c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d2edfcf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d2edfcf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women&#8217;s representation as ministers was also not significant. In 2016, women accounted for about 18%\u00a0 of all ministers in the central government. It was often less than 10% before that, and after 2016, too, it\u00a0 declined. Only in 2020 did the proportion of women ministers increase closer to 15% (Graph 6). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipu.org\/resources\/publications\/infographics\/2023-03\/women-in-politics-2023\">Of the\u00a0 11 women ministers in the Government of India, now, only two are cabinet ministers<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The\u00a0 representation of women as Members of the Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) across states is also not very\u00a0 significant (Graph 7). Interestingly, some of the northern states have a higher proportion of women\u00a0 MLAs than the southern states!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-44a4f48 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"44a4f48\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fcad5ad\" data-id=\"fcad5ad\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6cc152 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d6cc152\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2.png 994w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2-768x382.png 768w, https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WomenBlog_Graph3-2-600x298.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-575ec99 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"575ec99\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7f8f454\" data-id=\"7f8f454\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b8ec0d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b8ec0d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Representation of women in the Panchayati Raj<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the 73<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rd <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and 74<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">constitutional amendments and efforts of many states to reserve seats in\u00a0 Panchayati Raj Institutions, the representation of women has increased significantly. In many states, 50%\u00a0 or more of the PRI members are women.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are reports of proxy-Sarpanch, with men controlling the processes, the representation of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">women is very encouraging. The Indian government has managed to showcase women&#8217;s representation <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in local bodies to elevate its ranking in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/india-successfully-pushes-for-inclusion-of-women-political-representation-at-grassroots-for-wef-gender-gap-report\/article66424426.ece\">World Economic Forum&#8217;s Global Gender Gap report<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why are women&#8217;s participation and representation important?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: inherit;\">Two contrasting aspects emerge from the above description. Women&#8217;s participation in electoral politics\u00a0 has been significant. However, their representation is significantly limited to the PRIs, where recent\u00a0 affirmative actions (reservation) have enabled their representation. On the contrary, their representation\u00a0 in the state legislature, national Parliament, and as ministers are very limited. Women have been unable\u00a0 to break the glass ceiling beyond the PRIs and be represented in the higher corridors of power. In some\u00a0 sense, there is a &#8220;gender exclusion&#8221; of women beyond the PRIs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/opinion\/where-are-india-s-women-leaders-101614781421864.html\">Studies have indicated that many\u00a0 women who have managed to break the glass ceiling are often from political families<\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the reasons women cannot break this barrier include the nature of party leadership in many\u00a0 instances, which is controlled mainly by men and often for life. There are other structural barriers, too.\u00a0 The nature of electoral politics and the violence often associated with it also hinder women from\u00a0 contesting. Elections are expensive, and often, women do not have access to resources to fight the\u00a0 elections. Also, none of the political parties acknowledge women&#8217;s reproductive role as a social\u00a0 responsibility.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There must be a commensurate representation of women, given their electoral participation and, most\u00a0 importantly, their contribution to society and the economy. Their representation in the state assemblies\u00a0 and the Parliament is essential to bring in gender perspectives in political decision-making processes\u00a0 at higher levels and to ensure gender-friendly legislation. The evidence of women\u2019s effectiveness as\u00a0 leaders and their positive association with development is now well established. Women elected under\u00a0 reservation in Panchayat institutions invest more in public goods.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">The women leaders&#8217; investment often\u00a0 reflects community priorities, such as drinking water, child nutrition, and health centers<\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/politics-and-nation\/women-mlas-better-at-improving-growth-study\/articleshow\/71019973.cms?from=mdr\"> A study has\u00a0 also found that women legislators in India raise economic perfor<\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">mance in their constituencies by about <\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: inherit;\">1.8 percentage points per year more than male (legislators).<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would be ideal if the political parties voluntarily enabled increased participation and representation\u00a0 of women. This would help to counter the arguments that a reservation for women militates equality.\u00a0 However, as outlined above, political parties are often the gatekeepers for women\u2019s electoral\u00a0 participation and representation. Hence, affirmative action by the State appears to be the way out as it\u00a0 will help to overcome the various structural challenges women face, as the experience with PRIs\u00a0 demonstrates. <\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reservation will help the electorate to get an idea of women as leaders. It would also\u00a0 help to break the stereotype that only men could be leaders. It could also enable younger women and\u00a0 girls to consider the leaders as role models and consider politics an option.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it is unlikely that there will be a significant change by the 2024 elections, by 2029, the reservation\u00a0 for women in the state and the national elections is necessary to ensure that more women represent us,\u00a0 enabling a more equitable and sustained development.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><div><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div><div><strong>Author:<\/strong> <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ramanathan-s-23a9638\/\">S Ramanathan<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, <em>Founder Director at Development Solutions<\/em><\/div><div><i style=\"font-size: 18px;\">The note represents the personal views of the author. It does not represent the organization with which he is affiliated.<\/i><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Over the years, the participation of women in Indian politics has increased significantly. However, it has yet to translate into a significant representation of women. While there have been pronouncements by the political parties of voluntary reservation for women in seats, nothing much has happened. The women&#8217;s reservation bill is still being debated and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Women in Indian Politics: Participation versus representation - Devsolutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/devsolutions.org\/bio-medical-waste-management-in-india-challenges-and-measures-for-better-management-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women in Indian Politics: Participation versus representation - Devsolutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 Over the years, the participation of women in Indian politics has increased significantly. 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