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Delhi, 27 September 2023
Women Leadership
VITAL FOR SOCIETAL CHANGE
By Dr. Oishee Mukherjee
The
passage of the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill renamed as ‘Nari Shakti
Vandan Adhiniyam’ should give hope to nearly half of the country’s 950 million
registered voter population that the ‘historic’ step will in the long run lessen
the gender gap, which to say the least is dismal. While India boasts of being
the world’s largest democracy, it ranks 141 out of 185 in the World Economic
Forum’s latest Global Gender Report.
There is
at the same time, a nagging doubt when the Bill will translate into reality, as
the delay in implementation by linking it to delimitation, which is to be
undertaken after the Census as is mentioned in Clause 334(a) of the bill, is a
grey area. While the Modi government assures urgent steps, some Opposition
parties are sceptical whether the Bill’s execution will take place even in
2029elections, as there is no time limit. Plus, there is the additional demand
for carving out an OBC sub-quota in the legislation and a ‘caste census’, which
is shrouded in controversy.
Be that
as it may, the question of women’s reservation in State legislatures and
Parliament was never about whether it will happen, but when. While reservations
exist already at the lowest tiers of government in panchayat raj institutions,
first introduced in 1993 by the Rajiv Gandhi government, four attempts made by
previous governments to bring this Bill failed. It was first brought by Deve
Gowda-led government in 1996, which went to a committee, but never reached the Lok Sabha; the Vajpayee
government brought it 1998, but wasn’t allowed to be introduced; again it was
brought but discussion couldn’t take place; the Bill was then brought by
Manmohan Singh government in Rajya Sabha, where though being passed it failed
to make it to the Lok Sabha.
With the
incumbent Modi government facing its toughest elections in 2024 against a ‘united
Opposition’ in 2024, INDIA bloc, the passage of the Bill may, as
is envisaged, give it an edge. This, on the basis that at least the foundation
has been laid, and that women voters, who are said to vote differently, would
expect the political class to be more gender inclusive and appoint more women
to leadership positions.
In the
last general Election 716 women candidates contested, of which 78 were elected.
MPs have been elected to the 17th Lok Sabha. A marginal
rise from 62 women MPs in 2014. In fact, representation of women MPs in Lok
Sabha is slowly improving from 5% in the 1st Lok Sabha to 14 %
in the 17th Lok Sabha. However, though the percentage has
increased over the years, it is still lower in comparison to some countries.
These include, Rwanda (61%), South Africa (43%), UK (32%), USA (24%),
Bangladesh (21%).
There
can be no denying that more women need to enter politics as equal mainstream
players on leadership qualities and political skills. This is imperative to
counter the deprivation and exploitation of the opposite sex in various areas
and in various ways. One may refer to Mahatma Gandhi who had said long back
that those who “obstruct the rise of free independent women, also obstruct the
rise of free independent men”. Gender justice is not about special concessions
for women but an overall democratisation of public life that makes politics
safe enough for all to enter, without having to endure violence or persecution
from money or muscle power.
Take for
example the areas of higher education, country’s workforce or women’s
safety—which should get a boost with a change in mindsets. While it is seen
that more women are going for higher education and entering the workforce in
metros and big cities, the total national picture is somewhat different.
Reports indicate that huge numbers of women are dropping out of the workforce.
A recent statistic shows that in the coveted Jawaharlal Nehru University, in
the nation’s capital Delhi, there has been a decline in the proportion of
female students in recent years though between 2014-15 and 2020-21, their overall
enrolment rose from 45 to 49%.
Insofar
as safety is concerned, crimes against women show poor signs of abating. In the
past two-three years, reports suggest that there has been rapid increase in
cases of rape and molestation in some State, thereby indicating that the
opposite sex is still considered subordinates to men in a patriarchal society. This
year alone, a report found that as many as 1278 cases of rape and murder of
women were registered across 28 States between 2017 and 2021 with Uttar Pradesh
topping the list with a maximum of 218 cases. This perhaps isn’t the full picture
as ‘at least 3000 cases, most unregistered’, took place during the above
years.
These examples
reveal the harsh reality, that while India has made progress, its female
population has big challenges of empowerment to overcome. Recall, while
addressing the G20 Ministerial Conference on Women Empowerment in August, Prime
Minister Modi said the most effective way to empower women was through a
women-led development approach. “When women prosper, the world prospers,”
because their economic empowerment fuels growth and their access to education
drives global progress.
But
words, need to translate into action. The empowerment that is called for needs presence
of women leaders, both at the regional and national levels, to enhance women’s
participation in decision and policy making. A look at leadership positions
suggests the road ahead is not easy. For example in 28 States and eight UTs
there’s only one female Chief Minister today; In Modi’s Cabinet there are 11
women ministers out of 77, i.e. only one in every seven ministers.
It would
also be prudent to refer to a recent report ‘The Paths to Equal’ where
India finds itself placed in the group of countries classified as low on
empowerment in the first twin indices for women’s empowerment (WEI) and global
gender parity (GGPI) brought out by UN bodies. The report for the first time
assesses 114 countries on twin indices for women empowerment and gender parity
in 2022. The empowerment deficit, according to WEI in India is 48% and gender
gap according to the GGPI is 44%. However, India’s score in WEI is slightly
higher than the regional average of central and southern Asia, where
empowerment deficit is 50%.
Political
parties per se need to play an active role and not leave it to the government
of the day with the uphill task of women empowerment. Quotas will take time,
but at least the parties, both national and State, can set an example by
allocating at least 30% of its seats to women candidates in the ensuing general
election. A sign of genuine sincerity when they voted for the Bill. The earlier
this happens it would be better for society and the country. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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