- Sakshi Sohoni
The empowerment of women continues to be a significant focus area for governments and allied
institutions across the globe. Increasing women’s participation in the public
sphere – particularly in key decision-making positions has subsequently emerged
as one of the means of achieving this end. In particular, the Fourth
World Conference on Women held in Beijing[1] in 1995, set
a target of ensuring 30% women in positions at decision-making
levels by 1995. Almost three decades later, most countries of the world are lagging behind significantly[2] in meeting the
targets and closing the gender gaps. In the Indian scenario, women’s
participation in different spheres of public life has progressed at a slow
rate. Globally, India ranks at 144th place in a list of 193
countries based on the percentage of elected women
representatives in their national parliaments. India’s bicameral Parliament has
female members who make
up 14% of the lower house[3] (Lok Sabha) and 11.6% of the upper house (Rajya Sabha)[4].
Women’s representation
in other key decision-making roles like the judiciary[5] also mirrors this trend of gender
disparity. Just over 10% of current High Court Justices are women, while 4 out
of the 32 current Supreme Court Justices are women. In a nation where 49% of
the population is female, women continue to be underrepresented in leadership
roles.
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| Image courtesy: newsclick.in |
Two main themes cover the essence
of this problem - do women have access to opportunities and do they have the
capacity to take up the role. India’s focus has largely been on the
former. Legislative interventions over
the years such as the policy of reserving a third of seats for women at the panchayat level and
in municipalities have allowed women to make inroads as elected
representatives, albeit in a non-uniform manner. Currently, 21 out of 28 states in India have
reserved 50% of the seats for women in Panchayati Raj
institutions. As per the Global Sustainable Development
Database[6]
compiled by the United Nations, women occupy 44.37%[7]
of total seats in deliberative bodies of local government. The
Constitution 110th Amendment Bill of 2009[8]
which sought to reserve 50% seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions was
introduced in the Lok Sabha. Similarly, The Constitution 112th
Amendment Bill 2009[9]
sought to reserve 50% seats for women in urban local bodies was also
introduced in the Lok Sabha. At a national level, the Women’s Reservation Bill[10] that sought to reserve 33% seats for women in central and
state legislatures was introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2008.
However, lack of political will has meant that these bills were not discussed
in the other house and have not been reintroduced since.
Research[11] and trends[12] over the last two decades point
towards substantial developmental gains that are realised when women come into
decision making positions. From the manner of conduct to the issues that are
focused on, women leaders have a distinct style of functioning when compared to
their male counterparts. Women’s larger political identity in India is shaped
by multiple factors. Women’s autonomy to make decisions (including ones like
running for office or voting for a candidate) is likely to be limited, owing to
the patriarchal nature of the Indian society. Moreover, women’s voice if at all considered[13], tends to get limited to domains
that are deemed to be “women’s issues” like health, sanitation, food security
and child care. While entry barriers have been somewhat addressed through
affirmative action, women in politics have to face disproportionate standards
and layers of subtle discrimination as they pave their way forward into the
system. Data on the representation of women in key decision-making positions
outside of politics or in the larger workforce[14] suggests that the lack of capacity
to meaningfully access opportunities is a common theme. In order to achieve the
end of proportional representation of women in the political sphere and
decision-making at large, it is important to work on several contributing
factors. First, it is imperative to focus on education, economic empowerment
and social inclusion collectively, to empower women to exercise their political
identities – as citizens and decision-makers. Second, it is important to create
an environment that is conducive to achieving success. It is necessary to
build the right knowledge, skills, mindsets in office-bearers at a system
level. Third, it is important to acknowledge the double standards, biases and
unreasonable expectations we have as a society from elected representatives –
especially women, that often come in the way of judging their public persona
fairly. Finally, it is important to create a role model effect by highlighting
trends and the impact created by women in decision making positions. In this
regard, the decentralisation of power at the level of local self-government
coupled with affirmative action has provided women with maximum access to
opportunities. However, it is important to remember that access does not
necessarily translate into complete autonomy to take decisions independently or
influence them.
India’s growth and development
story hinges on inclusion – not just for the fulfilment of our economic
aspirations but equally in pursuit of the constitutional commitment towards
equality of status and opportunity. For the needs, aspirations, constraints, ideas of half of the population to be
reflected in decision making, women’s presence in all domains of public life in
general and politics and governance in particular needs to increase. Legislation
can only act as an enabling factor to the process of women’s empowerment and
strengthening of identities. For ground reality to change, it is necessary to
back it up with changes in mindsets and actions.
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| Sakshi Sohoni |
(Sakshi is an alumna of the Women in Government Fellowship and Teach For India Fellowship. Currently, she works as an associate with the Government Relations vertical in Teach for India)
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References:
[1] United
Nations (1995). Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action, Critical Area G, “Women, Power
and Decision-Making”
[6] https://www.sdg.org/datasets/undesa::indicator-5-5-1-proportion-of-elected-seats-held-by-women-in-deliberative-bodies-of-local-government-percent-3/about
[7] https://www.sdg.org/datasets/undesa::indicator-5-5-1-proportion-of-elected-seats-held-by-women-in-deliberative-bodies-of-local-government-percent-3/explore?location=5.208091%2C-15.094106%2C2.16
[8] https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-constitution-110th-amendment-bill-2009#:~:text=The%20Bill%20seeks%20to%20amend,number%20of%20offices%20of%20Chairpersons.
[9] https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-constitution-112th-amendment-bill-2009-amendment-of-article-243t
[10] https://prsindia.org/billtrack/womens-reservation-bill-the-constitution-108th-amendment-bill-2008-45