Women and the Indian Political Process

The crux of democracy lies with the people. Participation of the people grants legitimacy to the government. Though women form a sizable part of India’s population, their political representation and participation is definitely below the mark.

Of late the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of the Indian Parliament) took a historic decision. It passed the Bill which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The Bill seeks to reserve a third of the seats of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for 15 years on a rotational basis. It was first introduced in 1996, but it took 14 years for another version of it to be put to vote. The move should have been through a long time back but nevertheless it is significant that it has been accomplished. This will go a long way in empowering women in the decision-making process. However, unruly scenes witnessed in the Upper House created by some MPs when Bill was moved and its present fate in the Lok Sabha, whatever may be the reason, clearly indicate the fault-lines when it comes to empowering women in a patriarchal society. It is indeed ironical that we want to be called progressive but when it comes to the question of bestowing power to women we not only hesitate but also try to postpone the process.

We are not trying to rewrite gender history through this constitutional amendment so many years after independence, we are merely accepting the existence of one-half of the Indian population. But before we start appreciating that it is a great step forward, it is imperative to understand the ground reality that the Bill is still to be passed in the Lok Sabha. Then it must be sent to 28 State Assemblies and at least half of them have to endorse it. This has to be followed by the President’s assent to the Bill to become an Act. At present owing to the numbers factor in the Lok Sabha, the government doesn’t seem to be in a position to move on the Women’s Reservation Bill.

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Indian women have been associated with politics since the pre-independence period. They were part of the freedom movement both as volunteers and leaders. On independence, Article 15 of the Indian Constitution guaranteed equality to women under the law. Though the Indian Constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens, women are still marginally represented in the Indian political arena. The fact that women are grossly under-represented at the political level in Central and State governments is a testimony to lack of political power in the hands of women. It is sad state of affairs that about half of India’s population has only 10 per cent representation in the Lok Sabha. In the current Rajya Sabha, there are 21 women out of a total of 233 MPs, which amounts to only nine per cent which is even lower than that in the Lok Sabha. At the societal level male dominance in Parliament, bureaucracy, judiciary, Army, police all point towards gender inequality, notwithstanding the fact that it is often argued that women’s political leadership would bring about a more cooperative and less conflict-prone world. Lack of political and economic powers add to the subservient and unequal position of women.

The Indian Constitution guarantees equal rights to all but positive conditions have to be created for women to enjoy these rights. Women have been given political rights without accompanying powers to exercise these rights. Economic and political powers go hand in hand. To make inroads into male dominated institutions, they need equal level playfield with men as they are financially disadvantaged and do not have access to economic resources. First, the issues of women’s political participation and empowerment cannot be confined to mere political rights. Education, social awareness and economic power are its important and basic components. Even today women empowerment remains a distant dream. It has been repeatedly seen that only few women make it to the point of political power. They are usually well-to-do people. Second, either they are the daughters or wives or widows of politicians.

With the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amend-ments, India moved towards a big change in our institutional framework of governance. With 33 per cent reservation for women at the local level, that is, panchayats and municipalities, it was a new beginning for women’s empowerment. A new step, however small, has been taken. Reser-vations in the panchayats have shown that women not only stand for office and come to power but make positive use of it. Through their participation in politics, women are making use of power and resources to bring about the necessary changes. Water scarcity and education are two of the important issues that have been dealt with by women. Potable water through a common tap has been brought in several villages. In 2008, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj commissioned a detailed, quantitative and qualitative, country-wide study of elected representatives in panchayats, where one-third of seats in PRIs are reserved for women. The study showed that reservation was the biggest reason for women to stand for election. The experience of reservation of seats in panchayats leading to more women in governing positions is worth emulating. In this context, the passage of the Reservation Bill through the Rajya Sabha is indeed path-breaking.

However, there are structural and procedural bottlenecks still to be taken care of. There are a number of obstacles which come in the way of participation and representation of women in politics. These include poverty, lack of education, the patriarchal mode of society, lack of financial independence and lack of awareness of political rights which hamper the woman’s ability to take independent decisions. Criminalisation of politics had a negative impact on women’s participation in politics. Further, even if women are elected, they have to face so many other problems including harassment and physical threats. In some cases men want to retain power by proxy; thus they coax their womenfolk to fight elections on reserved seats.

Moreover political parties themselves do not field women candidates for they are not sure of their success and ability to generate resources for elections. Political parties only make promises in their manifestoes to work for the welfare of women, but in actual practice, they are not interested in the issue of equal participation of women in politics. Leaders of all parties pay lip-service about the injustices suffered by women in the past and the need to give them a larger role in political life in the future. But no political party has actually tried to accommodate more women in its own top brass.

It is high time that women be the initiators of legislation. Women legislators should work for the empowerment of other women thus giving them an equal chance in the governance of a village, a state and a country. The first job of the woman legislator is to lay stress on women’s education so that they not only become aware of their socio-economic and political rights but develop an independent political mind. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has argued that development is the way to provide capabilities to women to bring out their fullest self. Literacy, health and other necessities are the woman’s basic rights and give her a chance to improve her position in the social strata by changing her economic status. This will go a long way in claiming political power too.

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The current enactment is indeed a landmark development. It may create new opportunities for women to be forerunners in economic and social progress. Gender equality is critical to the development process. It calls for creating opportunities for women to be part of this development process. Political participation is not only a symbol of women’s development and empowerment but it also creates further awareness and mobilises other women to be a part of the political process to promote their and societal interests at large.

However, merely enacting legislation will not help. Historically women have been denied social and economic opportunities. Even today, women face discrimination and violence in both their public and private lives. In order to create genuine conditions and open up avenues for women’s political participation we need a change in the social attitude and mindset of the civil society. Education of women is vital to bring them out of the darkness of ignorance, make them aware of their socio-economic and political rights and duties. The need is to make them independent intellectually and financially, so that they can take their own decisions. The cause of women’s empowerment, political representation and economic freedom are related to each other. Indian democracy will be a truly vibrant democracy only if we acknowledge and respect political power due to womenfolk. The indecision about the Women’s Reservation Bill’s passage in the Lower House of Parliament is really a matter of concern. It is high time that we give women their due share in the political process. It not only empowers women but empowers the whole society and nation.

Dr Bharti Chhibber teaches Political Science at the University of Delhi. She can be contacted at e-mail: bharti.chhibber@gmail.com