ABSTRACT
Women’s participation in electoral politics in India is a source as well as sign of positive social change. Since the independence the role of women in both social and political sphere is ever changing. From being deprived and oppressed for decades to being provided one-third of the elected seats in local governance structures, women have come a long way. The decentralization of power in political institutions and the Panchayati RajSystem are also a prominent factor in bringing political governance closer to women and promoting feminist approach towards politics at grassroot levelsHowever, reservation alone cannot be the ultimate solution towards achieving gender equality in electoral politics as women are hindered by the traditional roles they are supposed to fulfill in respect of their family, marriage, children, household etc. and this hindrance acts as a barrier for them in participating in elections. Not only this but also the lack of knowledge and awareness in rural areas limits the women from engaging in political activities as they have a notion that politics is meant for men only. This paper aims to analyze and study the role of women in local self- government in India and persisting challengesafter adoption ofelectoral reservation for women under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act.
INTRODUCTION
When ‘Swaraj’ was declared in India, Mahatma Gandhi said, “As long as women of India do not take part in public life there can be no salvation for the country”. Political empowerment of women is very crucial for promoting gender equality as well as establishing a strong democracy at a very basic stage. We live in the 21st century and despite various empowerment policies and legislations, bias against women still exists as the male counterparts in certain regions of the country still consider that women being confined to the household and children is an accepted practice and if a women is politically active then she is demeaning the family name. From the past hundreds of years, malpractices like the Sati Pratha, Pardah System, Dowry etc. give evidence of the suppression faced by women in every aspect of their lives and that they have come a long way. In a 2023 research it was found that more women in politics leads to efficient policy outcomes, limited corruption and less conflicts as they promote economic growth and development and are inclusive of women in labour force.[1] The Indian government realized the importance of women in politics back in 1993 and introduced the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act which inserted Article 243-D providing reservation of one-third of the electoral seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which are the local governance structures in India. After almost thirty two years of this amendment, more than 1.45 million women occupy political roles in the diverse politics of India, this reflects the affirmative changes brought by the amendment and that it has been able to achieve its object to a certain extent.[2] Nevertheless, increased political participation of women is met with various loopholes such as young women are often reluctant in associating with formal governance structures because of their domestic roles and responsibilities and older elected women often function as proxies for the opinions of their male counterparts. This may act as an impediment in realizing the maximum benefit of the amendment given that intellectual capacity of women is not entirely put to use, but even if a small quantity of them by virtue of their political consciousness and administrative ability contribute to the political and social change then the democracy will be significantly strengthened. Women have the potential to exhibit greater political values than men. They might be better than men in tackling common issues like alcohol abuse, domestic violence, water scarcity, shortage of food etc. owing to their experiences in the household and their interaction with men at the grassroot levels.
In the Global Gender Gap Report of 2024, India slipped two places ranking 129 after climbing eight places, that is, from 135 to 127 in 2023, the primary reason being a decline in educational and political empowerment.[3] The gender gap in political empowerment remains the highest with 77.5% unaddressed which made virtually no progress since last year.[4] This is because a considerable portion of women in rural India still lack consciousness and awareness about politics and functioning of governance structures and are therefore unwilling to contest for positions in Panchayati Raj Institutions. Poverty, economic backwardness, negligible sources and prevailing structures of patriarchy prevent them from obtaining any kind of education, hence they are limited only to sustaining the family and household chores.
[1] Kevin Kruse, “New Research: Women more effective than men in all leadership measures,”availableat: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2023/03/31/new-research-women-more-effective-than-men-in-all-leadershipmeasures/?sh=1f59a65a577a. (last visited on Oct 1, 2024)
[2]Sunaina Kumar and Ambar Kumar Ghosh, “Elected Women Representatives in Local Rural Governments in India: Assessing the Impact and Challenges” 425 Observer Research Foundation 3-4 (2024)
[3]Global Gender Gap Report 2024, available at: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/ (last visited on Oct 1, 2024)
[4]“Two steps back: on India and the Global Gender Gap report 2024”, THE HINDU, available at: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/two-steps-back-on-india-and-the-global-gender-gap-report-2024/article68289197.ece/amp/ (last visited on Oct 5, 2024)