question_answer

How has women participation been increased in the Indian politics? Give a comparative analysis of early and modern period.

Answer:

The participation of women in Indian politics has been increased by making it legally binding to have a fair proportion of women in the elected bodies:

(i) One-third of seats in local government bodies-in   Panchayats and municipalities- are now reserved for women.

(ii) There are more than 10 lakh elected women representatives in rural and urban local bodies.

Efforts are being made for such a reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies, i.e., one-third seats are to be reserved. A Bill with this proposal has been pending before the Parliament but there is no consensus over this among all the political parties. This bill, if passed, will increase the empowerment of women. The need is for equal participation of women in governance and in the decision making process.