Women Reservation Bill
Origin:
- A 1993 constitutional amendment served as the model for the first iteration of this law.
- The Sarpanch (Village Council Leader) positions in Grame Panchayats must be held by women at a random percentage of one-third, according to the constitutional amendment.
- As a long-term strategy to expand this reservation to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, the Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced.
- In accordance with the proposed bill, women will be given 33% of the seats in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative bodies.
- The option of rotating the distribution of reserved seats is available in a number of states or union territories.
- 15 years after the start date of this Amendment Act, the seat reservations for women will stop.
Need:
- India’s political empowerment index has decreased by 13.5 percentage points, and the proportion of female ministers has decreased from 23.1% in 2019 to 9.1% in 2021, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021.
- Even the government’s Economic Surveys show how pitifully few women are represented in Lok Sabha and other legislative bodies.
- According to various surveys, women acting as Panchayati Raj representatives have significantly contributed to the growth and general well-being of society in villages. Undoubtedly, many of them would like to work on a bigger scale, but due to India’s political system, they encounter a number of difficulties.
- Among the difficulties include a dearth of sufficient political education, women’s low economic status in society, sexual assault, signs of an unstable patriarchy, an unequal division of family labour between men and women, etc.
- When spouses (or other male relatives) frequently utilise women as proxies in PRIs while actually holding the real power, this situation is known as Panchayat Patis.
Significance:
- Three essential, unalterable principles—that men and women have the same rights—form the cornerstone of women’s political emancipation.
- the capacity of women to realise their full potential.
- the ability of women to be heard and make their own decisions.
- Women leaders need to be seen more frequently in order to influence decisions about positions and to encourage young girls to participate to the advancement of the country because there is a gender gap in political decision-making.
Problems:
- It was asserted that because women wouldn’t be treated as equal competitors, their unequal status would continue.
- Additionally, it is said that this strategy deflects focus away from the electoral reform’s more important components, such as the criminalization of politics and internal party democracy.
- Female voters’ choices of candidates are constrained by this.
- The rotation of reserved seats in each election may lessen an MP’s desire to serve his district because he runs the danger of losing the chance to run for reelection there.
- Experts have endorsed alternative strategies including racial discrimination in political parties and dual member constituencies.
Way Forward:
- Institutions under the Panchayati Raj have greatly aided women’s representation at the local level (PRIs). Many states have established a 50% reserve for female candidates.
- The Women’s Reservation Bill will benefit from and be strategically supported by fundamental party reforms. Even if the law is further stalled, political parties should nevertheless implement internal changes to make it easier for women to enter politics.
- In this instance, it’s critical to highlight and set apart the Indian viewpoint on quotas from that of the West.
- Contrary to the West, where they are largely frowned upon, quotas have developed into key societal influencers in India.
- They are tools for redistribution designed to end decades of ongoing tyranny.
- Women may still face the aforementioned obstacles even after sharing a legislative seat with males. The population of India must undergo institutional, social, and behavioural change. The Sustainable Development Goals include the goal of achieving gender equality.
