Women’s Reservation Bill – The Way Forward

Women’s Reservation Bill – The Way Forward

 Author :- Shubham Sharma, student at Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies 

It is surprising that the world's biggest democracy has not made it easy for more women to get into politics, even though they once had a female prime minister. It is a fascinating fact that women who are mostly relegated to the responsibilities of the household, were at the forefront of numerous movements during India's struggle for freedom. Women were key in mobilizing political resources by way of massive demonstrations for pushing reforms. 

Historically, India has seen the rise of several female political stalwarts in Indira Gandhi the only woman prime minister India has had, J Jayalalithaa, Sushma Swaraj and many more. The current Prez of the country, Draupadi Murmu, is also a woman. While there has been significant improvement in the socio economic life of an Indian woman, a lot needs to be achieved in propelling their numbers in local and national politics.  The constitution of India also provides for equality in opportunities for both men and women as stated in Part 3 of the same. The inclusion of women in domestic politics received a major impetus in 1992 through 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments which provided for reservation of one-third of the total number of seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and municipal bodies. While these legislative measures were taken to encourage their involvement in political decision-making affairs, simultaneous efforts were made to improve their socio economic conditions which would subsequently lead to growing political awareness. The introduction of Women's Reservation Bill, which guarantees reservation for one third of seats in national and state parliaments for women, can just be the game changer for the success of such efforts. 

 The journey of the Women's Reservation Bill began 27 years ago in September 1996 when it was introduced in Parliament by the government led by H. D. Deve Gowda. Over the years, nearly every government has tried to pass it. The UPA government even managed to get it approved in the Rajya Sabha in 2010. However, due to a lack of political determination and agreement, the effort did not succeed.The current Lok Sabha consists of 542 members, with 78 (14.39%) being women. Last year, in reply to a question in Parliament, the government mentioned that on average, women make up only 8% of MLAs in state Assemblies nationwide. 

The introduction of this bill in the special parliamentary session and it's subsequent passing in the Lok Sabha has also drawn ample support from the Indian mainstream which often finds itself bound by patriarchal arrangements of society. The role of women in governance can help influence various sectors of the economy which could prove to be beneficial to young women seeking to lead independent lives. Political parties could also offer opportunities by providing them with resources required for campaigning, training and mentorship. Therefore, a huge responsibility lies on the political representation groups of India to ensure gender sensitive policies that enable greater presence for women in government agencies and programmes meant for their social upliftment.