The term 'political participation' has a very broad meaning. This is not only related to the 'Right to Choose', but is simultaneously related to participation in: decision-making processes, political activism, political awareness, etc. Women in India participate in voting, running for public office and political parties at lower levels. than men. Political activism and voting are the strongest areas of women's political participation. To combat gender inequalities in politics, the Government of India has set reservations for seats in local governments.
The number of female voters during the 2014 parliamentary elections of India was 95.63%, compared with 67.09% of the total voters for men. India is ranked 20th from the bottom in terms of women's representation in Parliament. The Indian Constitution tries to eradicate gender inequality by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and class, prohibits trafficking and forced labor, and determines the position chosen for women.
The Government of India directs state and local governments to promote equality by class and gender including equal pay and free legal aid, humane working conditions and childbirth assistance, the right to work and education, and raising living standards. Women were substantially engaged in the Indian independence movement in the early 20th century and advocated independence from Britain. Independence brings gender equality in the form of constitutional rights, but women's political participation historically remains low.
Video Women's political participation in India
Women's Participation
Voting
The movement for women's suffrage began in the early 1900s in response to the national movement for suffrage, although most men or women had no right to choose British colonial rule before 1947. After India's independence from Britain, the Indian Constitution of 1950 was officially granted women's and men's suffrage. Before universal suffrage, the provincial legislature has given women the right to vote.
Madras was the first to grant women suffrage in 1921, but only to men and women who owned land property in accordance with British administrative records. The rights granted in response to the voting movement are limited to literacy qualifications and property ownership, including property ownership of husbands. Most Indian women and men can not vote, because they are poor. This changed in 1950 when universal suffrage was granted to all Indian adult citizens.
In 1950, universal suffrage was granted the right to vote for all women. This is enshrined in Article 326 in our Constitution. India is a parliamentary system with two houses: Lok Sabha (lower house) and Rajya Sabha (upper house). The participation rate among women in 1962 was 46.63% for Lok Sabha election and rose to high in 1984 from 58.60%. The number of male voters during the same period was 63.31% in 1962 and 68.18% in 1984.
The gap between male and female voters has narrowed over time by a 16.7% difference in 1962 to 4.4% in 2009.
Voter participation for national elections in the last 50 years remained stagnant with voters ranging between 50 and 60%. State elections have seen an emerging trend in women's participation, and in some cases, the number of female voters exceeds the number of men. An increase in the number of female voters reported for Vidhan Sabha election 2012 (legislative/state council) with countries such as Uttar Pradesh reported 58.82% to 60.29% of the total voters. In the 2013 assembly elections, the total number of women voters reported 47.4%, and male participation was 52.5%. The Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry all report a higher turnout among women than men in 2013.
Increased participation in rich and poor countries in India. The sex ratio of voters has increased from 715 female voters to every 1,000 male voters in the 1960s to 883 female voters in the 2000s. The Indian Electoral Commission (ECI) has sought to increase the number of voters by clearing the voters list and removing missing or dead members. Voter outreach has included door-to-door voter registration, and in the 2014 elections, voters will be given identification with voting information to increase voter turnout. The increase in the number of voters in India is also partly due to female voters. ECI has tried to encourage voter registration among women and participation through education and counseling on campuses and campuses. Growing participation has also been linked to increased security at polling stations.
2014 elections
The number of female voters during the 2014 parliamentary elections of India was 65.63%, compared with 67.09% of the total voters for men. In 16 of the 29 states in India, more women choose than men. A total of 260.6 million women exercised their right to vote in the April-May 2014 election for the Indian parliament.
Walking for public office
India has a federal form of government, with the power of devolution. Voters choose to vote for the national parliament as well as the state assemblies. In 2012, India has a minimum percentage of 10.9% of women elected as representatives in the national parliament, which, but relatively higher than Hungary (8.8%), Brazil (9.6%), China (9.1%) , and Malaysia (9.8%).
The broader measure of political participation includes the number of women candidates competing for elections and women in the state assemblies. According to a study of the global global gap index of the World Forum, which considers such a broader scale, India has been ranked in the top 20 countries around the world for years, ranking the 9th best in 2013 - a score that reflects more participation women in the Indian political process than Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Britain.
To address the low participation of women voters, India in 1994 set a quota (reservation) in constitutional amendments (73rd and 74th) to reserve 33% of seats in local government for women. The Women's Reservation Bill (108 amendments) has been introduced in the national parliament to order 33% of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats for women. The bill has not been passed by Lok Sabha and signed into law. Discussions about women's reservations began in 1920 and continued until the 1930s until a compromise was reached with Britain to enable women in urban areas to vote. Discussion of women's reservations was reintroduced in 1974 by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in India, but India did not fully impose quotas in local governments until 1994. Local government agencies in India are called Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and one-third chairs and leadership positions should be reserved for women. Countries such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tripura, and Uttarakhand have increased bookings by up to 50%. The national government has also proposed to raise reservation rates in PRI to 50%.
Seats provided for women are screened to ensure that each seat has the same opportunity to be booked. Following the establishment of a women's reservation, political participation increased from 4-5% to 25-40% among women, and gave millions of women an opportunity to serve as leaders in local government. Odisha, the state of India, set the reservation before the 73rd amendment and they had 28,069 women elected in 1992 and 28,595 women in 1997. Class differences have been manifested with poorer women getting attendance in panchayats, but women from more classes high is chosen as chairman (sarpanch).
Concerns remain in the reserve seat for women in the elected positions. The problem of training has become an increasing concern by preparing women for leadership roles. It was found in Tamil Nadu that women do not have the education and training to understand the procedures in panchayats. Families also play an important role in women's participation in government. Family influence can be a barrier or support system for elected female officials in connection. Family relations can help women find elected positions at national and local government levels. There is concern about the role of women as a proxy for male family members, but women may still have important effects on policy decisions. Reservation effects for women have increased in the number of public goods, including water and roads. The improvement of drinking water and roads is a problem most often raised by elected female officials. The most significant issues for men are roads, irrigation, education, and water. Women also tend to bring welfare issues such as violence against women, childcare, and maternal health for consideration.
Maps Women's political participation in India
Political party
India has a multi-party system with 7 parties registered at the national level. The three largest parties in India are the Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian Communist Party (CPI). Political parties have increased the reach among women voters because the party system of India has become more competitive. This includes the creation of women's wings in the largest parties. The BJP wing is BJP Mahila Morcha, the INC wing is the Indian Congress of Mahila, and the CPI wing is the National Federation of Indian Women.
The involvement of women in political parties is associated with an increasing demand for equal rights. The INC held power until the 1990s. As the INC moves away from welfare politics, others appear to challenge INCs using poverty as the center of their agenda. The INC regained power in 2004 with the help of women's participation. INC has increased women's participation by instituting 33% quota for women at all party levels. In June 2009, INC nominated a woman to become Lok Sabha's first speaker, and also supported the election of Pratibha Patil, the first female president in India. Women are involved in the initial establishment of the BJP. BJP has encouraged greater women's representation by developing women's leadership programs, financial assistance for women candidates, and applying 33% of women's reservations in party leadership positions. The BJP has received women support by focusing on issues such as the Civil Code Uniform to extend equal rights to women and men regardless of religion. They also speak out against violence against Indian women. The CPI also supports issues of gender inequality including addressing violent issues through the National Indian Women's Federation.
Women's participation in political parties remained low in the 1990s with 10-12% membership consisting of women. Indian women have also taken the initiative to form their own political party, and in 2007, the United Women Front party has been formed, and has advocated to increase the reservation of seats for women in parliament to 50%. Women only govern four Indian political parties. From 1980-1970, 4.3% of candidates and 70% of the elections did not have any female candidates. By 2013, it has been reported from 11% of parliamentarians being women in Lok Sabha and 10.6% in Rajya Sabha.
Political activism
Women's organizations in India first began to emerge in the early 1900s, and then in the 1970s after a period of limited activity from the 1950s to the 1970s. One of the earliest women's organizations, Bharat Stree Mahamandal, was formed in 1910 and focused on helping women escape from male oppression. Women's associations traditionally began with the help of men who gave few women access to jobs and education, while limiting the extension of traditional gender roles. In 1927, the All Indian Women Conference (AIWC) was formed to advocate for women's education and assist in the part of the Hindu Code of Ethics between 1952 and 1960. Women were also active in the independence movement in protesting against the British colonial rule over India. held protests and public meetings to support independence.
A new wave of feminism in the 1970s was in response to issues of gender inequality and stagnant development in India. The Women's Status Committee in India released the report in 1974, and had a significant influence in the re-emergence of activism towards gender equality. The report highlights the significant differences between men and women in India, including differences in sex ratios, mortality rates, employment, literacy, and wage discrimination. The report sparked the women's movement by signaling ongoing discrimination against women in India. Gender inequality remains the focus of the women's movement with particular emphasis on issues such as the Criminal Code Uniform, the Women's Reservation Bill, and sexual violence against women. Women's organizations both formal and informal have grown in rural, urban, national, and state levels in India. Women's organizations in India address issues of the environment, poverty, empowerment, and violence against women. One of the most prominent women's organizations in India is AIWC, founded in 1927, focusing on empowering and educating Indian women. AIWC has more than 100,000 members and 500 branches in India, and has helped with the passage of the Sarda Act, the Maternity Benefit Act, and the Hindu Code Charge.
Indian women are significantly involved at the grassroots level of activism. The Chipko movement that emerged in the 1970s was one example of success among the women's movement in India, when women protested deforestation in Uttarakhand that led to the protection of the area. Since India's independence, women's organizations have focused on issues of violence against women. Women's movements focus on rape, women's death rate, female fetish, dowry death, sati, and domestic violence. Tragedies such as the Mathura rape case in 1972, the death of the Tarvinder Kaur dowry in 1979, the death of Roop Kanwar by the practice of sati in 1987, the rape of the gang Bhanwari Devi in ​​1992, and the case of the New Delhi gang rape in 2012, have made this movement focusing on rape and giving birth to many women's organizations at local and national levels.
The challenge for women's participation
The level and form of women's participation in politics is largely shaped by cultural and societal barriers in the form of violence, discrimination and illiteracy.
Sexual violence
Martha Nussbaum highlights significant barriers to women's ability to participate in politics to be a threat of violence. Sexual violence in India is exacerbated by issues of education and marriage. Women are sexually abused. Child marriage, domestic violence and low literacy have reduced the economic opportunities of Indian women and contributed to sexual violence in India. A 2011 study found, "24% of Indian men have sexually abused at some point in their lives, 20% have forced their partners to have sex with them... 38% of men admit they have physically abused their spouse." Extensive sexual violence is associated with the fact that violence in marriage is not against the law, and sexual violence is largely unpunished. Martha C. Nussbaum states that "In larger societies, violence and the threat of violence affect many abilities of women to participate actively in various forms of social and political relations, to speak publicly, to be recognized as dignified beings equal in value to those of others. "Confidence is likely to increase participation among Indian women, especially in running for elections.
Discrimination
Although the Indian Constitution removes gender inequality between caste and gender, discrimination continues to be a widespread barrier to women's political participation. A 2012 study of 3,000 Indian women found barriers to participation, particularly in running for political office, in the form of illiteracy, domestic workload, and discriminatory attitudes toward women as leaders. Discriminatory attitudes manifest in the limitations presented to Indian women include low access to information and resources. Women rely on receiving information from family or village members, usually men. Women also lack leadership experience because they are burdened with household chores. Household duties burden is a significant reason why many Indian women do not participate. Unlike men, there are fewer opportunities for women to engage in organizations to gain leadership skills. There is little public space for them because men have dominated the political arena for years in India.
Discrimination is further enshrined by the class. Dalit women, from the lowest caste in India, continue to be discriminated against in running for public office. The Government of India requires reservation seats for Dalits and Registered Castes, but women suffer harassment and discrimination while serving as elected officials. Dalit women are abused by being denied information, ignored or silenced in meetings, and in some cases petitioning to be removed from their elected positions.
Illiteracy
India has one of the largest illiterate populations. In January 2014, the United Nations reported 287 million adults in India were illiterate. Literacy among Indian women is 53.7%, which is much lower than literacy among men reported at 75.3%. Illiteracy limits women's ability to understand political systems and issues. Problems with exploitation, such as women left behind by voter lists, have been reported as illiterate limiting women's ability to ensure their political rights are exercised. Martha C. Nussbaum on political participation states, "Because literacy is generally connected with the ability to move outdoors and to stand alone outside of it, it is also connected with the ability of women to meet and collaborate with other women." Studies undertaken by Niraja Jayal and Nirmala Buch found that women were "constantly ridiculed and devalued in panchayat if they were illiterate." Nussbaum also finds that literacy can play a key role in the dignity and independence of women in politics by giving them access to communications, such as memos and newspapers, they can get better information on political issues.
Overcome obstacles to participation
To address the issue of discrimination and violence, women's organizations focus on empowering Indian women. Empowerment is tied to family support and improved status in the household, which is undermined by the threat of domestic and sexual violence. Socio-economic conditions, such as poverty and illiteracy, prevent women from entering candidates for public office, and even vote. The inability to understand Panchayat Raj's rules undermines confidence to participate in public office. The empowerment of Indian women can also occur through "bridging the gap in education, renegotiating gender roles, gender division of labor and overcoming biases". Women can also be empowered to participate by families, and when family support is present they are more likely to run.
The Government of India has addressed the issue of empowerment by consolidating all programs for women under the National Missions for Women Empowerment (NMEW). NMEW's mission is to "improve the economic empowerment of girls and women through skills development, microcredit, vocational and entrepreneurship training." In 2001, the Government of India issued a National Policy for Women Empowerment. This policy focuses on "progress, development and empowerment of women." In particular, the policy focuses on terminating gender inequality and violence against women. The UN has also encouraged empowerment among Indian women by campaigning to end violence against women in India. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have also tried to empower women that focus on issues of education, violence, and leadership. NGOs working for women's empowerment in India include Sammaan Foundation, Deepalaya, and CARE India.
See also
- Women in India
- Women in government
- Women's choice
- Female Reservation Bill
- Reserved political position in India
- United Women's Front
- All Indian Women Conference
- Violence against women in India
- Domestic Violence in India
- Gender discrimination in India
- Gender inequality in India
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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