Emily
MikeIn response to male-dominated politics throughout the country’s history, India has just approved a bill that would reserve 1/3 of all legislative seats for women candidates. The news comes just in time for International Women’s Day, on March 8th.
The country faces specific problems relating to women that have not been appropriately addressed up to this point. The World Economic Forum has ranked India 114 out of 134 countries based on gender disparities. Female infanticide is responsible for an unequal number of men and women in the country. Proponents of the bill hope that a critical mass of female legislators will solve this problem.
“Issues like female infanticide will no longer be seen as a soft subject but will become the core of the nation’s political agenda,” said Brinda Karat, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), during the debate in the upper house.
Many are very resistant to the idea of a quota, even though it’s been done with success in places like Norway. I am in support of such a measure. It’s not even a 50% quota; it is 33%. I believe this can encourage more women to get involved with politics and feel empowered to put in the time and effort into running for office.
But some of those who opposed the bill claim they didn’t oppose it for sexist reasons. Instead, Laloo Prasad Yadav, leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal party, said that he is against the legislation because it does not contain certain provisions for women of lower castes or religious minorities. Therefore, he claims, the bill won’t do enough to counter inequalities in Indian politics. As he puts it:
“We are being unfairly defamed as anti-women. All we want is that the women from real India, like those toiling in the farms and villages, are brought forward.”
Women currently have about 11% of the seats in Parliament in India. The United States isn’t a huge improvement over this number, where about 17% of Congress is female.
Filed under: International, Law, Politics, Workplace Tagged: | India, International, International Women's Day, Politics, women, women's rights
Women reservation bill has been passed. What is the logic behind the reservation being 33% and not higher? It is for sure that the next gen activists will again ask for more. But what must be the expected advantages? Can this bill enhance the female literacy in India? Will we look at women with greater respect? Or will these women end up like the powerful female characters of Ekta Kapoor soaps?
Here, I must point out the two leaders who have strongly opposed the bill. One of them has seven daughters, and quotes- “If they think that the women would vote independent… then they are mistaken… If I asked my wife to vote a certain way, do you think she would do otherwise?” He is the same man who placed his same wife as the CM of his state. Couldn’t he find an educated, better “male” and “independent” candidate for the post from his party? Are they that ignorant to understand the current politics? Don’t they understand that at the present the country is “for” the bill? After reaching their political peak, they are on the journey downhill. What worked for years will not work anymore to remain as political force. Why should their MPs use terrorist-like means to block the house proceedings? Who can accept snatching the bill tabled from the chairman’s hands, tearing it into pieces and flinging it in air as democratic right of protest? Why couldn’t they participate and debate with reasoning instead of mindless shouting?
I support this bill as in one leap, India will overtake many countries that were better off in women representation in their parliaments. As for the “real” development, let time be decisive factor.
Thank you for the comment. It’s unfortunate, but increasing the number of female legislators doesn’t help unless they are independent from male control. But it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
The statements by the one “leader” with seven daughters is truly sad.
After electing a woman Prime Minister and a good 14 years of debating it, politicians still can’t find it easy to say 50% of the seats should go to women. Probably they fear being beaten up by women on camera does not look good when asking for votes in the next elections
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