Reshaping Democracy: Women’s reservation bill makes her-story

Critics argue that reservation may undermine meritocracy and distract from other electoral reforms, but they fail to acknowledge the historical and systemic discrimination women have faced. The bill's implementation may be extended due to delimitation and census considerations, but it is bound to close the gender gap in politics at some point

As critical as the power to elect is the power to be elected. For a democracy that is the largest in the world with 685 million women pacing its lengths, nurturing its depths every day, having only 78 elected female representatives in a 542-member House of the People is the height of deprivation after 76 years of independence. Indian women have always been politically conscious and participating since the days of the freedom movement. Rani Lakshmibai led with her son, while Sarojini Naidu led with her sonnets. To have a woman serve as the president of the United Nations General Assembly, the governor of Maharashtra, and India's ambassador to the Soviet Union, the US, and London in Vijay Lakshmi Pandit was rich for a patriarchal nation like ours in the 50s.

Another fierce one, Sucheta Kriplani, broke barriers as our first female chief minister, heading one of the country's largest states, Uttar Pradesh, back in 1963. Our women have consistently stepped beyond the confines of their homes to reshape public life. So, a strength of 14.36 per cent for women MPs in our Lok Sabha is unbecoming of our country's values and destiny.

Not that the global statistics are any better. Worldwide, women, on average, hold an unequal 26.4 per cent of seats in lower house parliaments, which is equally agonizing. And this is when representative governments across continents have risen in numbers over the decades. As recently as September 2023, only 28 women served as Heads of State or Government in 26 countries. At the current pace, it could take another 130 years to achieve gender equality in the highest echelons of power. Which is disheartening, to say the least.

A genuinely representative democracy should strive for women's full and equal participation in politics. A nation of at least half of its population female cannot be governed by laws wholly or majorly made by men. Women must be equally an active part of the process and share accountability. So, it's crucial to examine why India still struggles with a significant gender imbalance in its legislative bodies.

We worship our women as Durga and Shakti, as the fountainheads of empathy and mamta, as the creator of all matter and consciousness. Our Rigveda celebrates learned women who could outshine men with their intellect. Our Upanishads hail women as the most potent and empowering force. What's then making our women so ill-suited to be our people's voices? What's keeping our ladies stuck as "the woman behind the successful man" rather than emerge the top choice for the top job themselves? Our Mahabharata does not differentiate between son and daughter. In chapter 47, as Yudhishthira seeks guidance on Dharma, Bhishma's reply in the Anushasana Parva is, "The daughter, O king, has been ordained in the scriptures to be equal to the son."

The roots of gender inequality in Indian parliaments are closely tied to the enduring patriarchy in its society. Even as we realize that women's development is intertwined with the nation's development, our society can't help frowning over our women entering the temples or taking a seat at the decision-making table. Our own cultural perceptions and upbringing keep our political parties male-dominated. Indian women are seen as primary caregivers within their families. How can they forego their household responsibilities to campaign on the streets? Of course, they have better things to do than join parties or, worse, form their own. Those who secure party tickets are nothing short of 'dynasts' with ''connections". One can imagine how encouraging it all must be for budding female leaders. At best, and often, our women hope to become proxies for their husbands or other male family members. Because how shall she do any better? Who is providing her with the necessary training and education? How shall she become politically conscious and aspire to change anything herself? Even for the ones aspiring, it's hard enough to get nominated, and then raising funds to fight the elections is a fight in itself. Even when she manages to run, the political environment marked by violence, harassment, and intimidation doesn't make it any easier for her to lead.

And so, it was critical that our Constitution intervene at some point. While it ensured equal rights for our men and women, it never laid down any reservation provision for women at the time of its drafting because we believed (and still do!) that our women have the strength to prosper on their own merits even when the Constituent Assembly had only 15 women among its 389 members in 1949. But what we underestimated was our deep-seated patriarchy and our stereotypes.

So, cut to 1996, only 6.5 per cent of Lok Sabha members were women. The then HD Deve Gowda-led administration brought up reservation of seats for women in September 1996, but fear and apprehension shadowed it. Many argued that women were more emotionally driven, many questioned women's capabilities, and many were concerned about the security of their seats. Yet, a similar quota had already proven successful at the local level. In 1992, the PV Narasimha Rao government had mandated reserving one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. It went on to mark a turning point in the local governance across India. Today, India's 3.2 million local representatives include 1.45 million women, and as many as 86,000 women are heading local bodies across the country, reflecting an impressive 44.37 per cent of the leadership. To offer a local-level comparison with other countries, France has 40.4 per cent women leaders, the UK has 34 per cent, Germany trails with 27 per cent, and China lags at 23 per cent.

But our national and state legislatures stayed backward. Nearly every administration attempted to pass the women's quota bill, but setbacks abounded. The UPA administration managed to get it through the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but it faced failure in the Lok Sabha. The former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee introduced the bill in 1998, 2002, and 2003, but it remained stuck in political quagmires. And so on…and so forth…Until September 21, 2023, when a historic shift occurred.

In a special session, the newly inaugurated House of Parliament finally greenlit the legislation languishing in its halls for far too long. The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, was passed, reserving one-third of all electoral seats for women in the Lok Sabha and all of our 28 state legislatures. This legislation also allowed for sub-reservation of seats for SC and ST women to ensure a more equitable distribution of opportunities. It included a provision for eliminating these reserved seats after 15 years to ensure long-term gender equality. Finally, after a 27-year journey of proposals, setbacks, and support, we have to ourselves the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act after President Droupadi Murmu's assent.

Critics argue that reservation may undermine meritocracy and distract from other electoral reforms, but they fail to acknowledge the historical and systemic discrimination women have faced. Drastic measures are needed to redress the drastic imbalance bred over decades. While the bill's implementation may be extended due to delimitation and census considerations, it is bound to close the gender gap in politics at some point. What's six years to implement an idea that has waited 27 years since its inception? Despite the uncertainties clouding the road ahead, the bill assures a structured pathway for women to climb the political ladder and actively contribute to shaping the nation's future. The journey to gender equality in Indian politics is still a long and challenging one. While promoting organic methods to enhance women's participation is essential, the systematic approach of reservation holds the promise of achieving a more accurate representation. With this landmark legislation, India has taken a significant step toward ensuring that women's voices are heard and heeded in its corridors of power.