Gender gap in politics
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: March 04, 2013 -
Sometime in September last year, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released a report on 'Gender Equality in Election Office in Asia-Pacific: Six Actions to Expand Women's Empowerment', wherein it was stated that countries like India would take more than 50 years to achieve gender balance in politics if the women's participation in Parliament remains at the current pace.
But looking at the results of the recent State Assembly elections in the three Northeastern States of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, it appears that gender equality in politics is just some vague concepts which would take even more than another century to take root specially in Northeastern part of India.
It is indeed sad to know that Meghalaya and Tripura called for celebration over the winning of four women candidates each to their respective State Legislative Assembly this time while Nagaland is yet to elect it's first ever lady legislator ever since the first Assembly election in that State in 1963.
This definitely says something very eloquent about total absence of women in the decision making process despite the fact that women constitute sizeable electoral population in these three States.
In fact, when it comes to poor representation of women, our own State Manipur has been no better- we too called for celebration when three women got elected to the current tenure of 10th Manipur State Legislative Assembly.
What is the reason for this under-representation of women in the decision making process when women in Northeastern States are said to be always at the forefront of taking up various important issues confronting the people?
For bridging the gender gap in politics, the UNDP report has recommended a six-point action plan which include constitutional reforms, changes in the pattern of electoral campaign and its financing, provision of reservation of seats for women, change in the policy of the political parties with regard to selection of candidates, capacity building on policy and programme and gender sensitive rules in elected bodies.
It is said that globally, women hold slightly less than 20 percent of the total seats in Parliaments and in Asia-Pacific, it is just over 18 percent. But when it comes to India, which has been ranked at 109 in the world classification of Women in National Parliaments, it is faring even worst that Afghanistan with just 11 percent women representation in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) and 10.6 percent in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha).
Among the six recommendations, the UNDP report has strongly vouched for reservation of seats for women in Parliament to bridge this gender gap in politics while pointing out that following implementation of reserved seats, women do better in sub-national than national elections in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. But frequent attempt to introduce policy for reservation of seats for women has failed repeatedly in India.
First drafted in September; 1996 and introduced in Lok Sabha in March, 2010, Women's Reservation Bill, which would assure reservation of 33 per cent of all seats for women in Lok Sabha and in all state legislative assemblies , has remained stuck in Lok Sabha after it was passed by the Rajya Sabha.
Why is it that a move to promote gender equality in decision-making bodies has not been allowed to get implemented? Every political party in the country owes an answer to this.
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