Once famously our founding father of constitution Dr. B R Ambedkar said “Progress of a country can be measure by the degree of progress which women have achieved”.

In this post I would like to take you through the journey of women’s reservation bill in India, and will try to compare it with some of the recent important reforms taken place world wide to provide political equity to women in different countries.

What is Women’s Reservation Bill?

The Women’s Reservation Bill, also known as the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, was first introduced in the Indian Parliament in 1996. The bill proposes to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) and state legislative assemblies for women.

The objective of the bill is to promote gender equality in politics and ensure greater representation of women in the decision-making process. It is believed that reserving seats for women will help address the under-representation of women in politics and increase their participation in governance and public policy.

The bill has been debated and discussed in Parliament for several years but has not been passed into law yet. Proponents of the bill argue that it is necessary to address gender inequality and promote women’s empowerment, while opponents argue that it could lead to tokenism, and that merit should be the only consideration for political representation.

The bill has received support from women’s rights groups and political parties, but has faced opposition from some political leaders who believe that it would upset the existing balance of power in the political system. Despite these challenges, the bill remains an important issue in Indian politics and continues to be discussed and debated.

What is the relevance of Women’s Reservation Bill?

The Women’s Reservation Bill, which proposes to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women, is important for several reasons:

1. Promoting gender equality: The reservation of seats for women in politics is an important step towards promoting gender equality and empowering women. It will provide women with equal opportunities to participate in the political process and make their voices heard.

2. Addressing under-representation: Women are under-represented in Indian politics, with only 14.36% of seats in the Lok Sabha being held by women as of 2021. The reservation of seats will help address this under-representation and increase the number of women in elected positions.

3. Encouraging women’s participation: The reservation of seats for women is expected to encourage more women to participate in politics, as they will have a better chance of getting elected. This will help bring diverse perspectives to governance and ensure that women’s issues are given greater importance in policy-making.

4. Setting an example: The reservation of seats for women in politics will set an example for other sectors and encourage greater gender diversity in all spheres of society.

Overall, the reservation of seats for women in politics is an important step towards promoting gender equality, addressing under-representation, and encouraging greater participation of women in the decision-making process.

How is India’s women reservation bill if you compare with important reforms in other countries to bring gender equity in politics?

There have been several important reforms in other countries to bring gender equity in politics, and here are some examples to compare with India’s Women’s Reservation Bill:

1. Norway: In 2003, Norway became the first country to introduce a gender quota law, requiring that 40% of all board members of public limited companies be women. The law was later expanded to include all state-owned companies. As a result, the representation of women on company boards increased from 9% in 2002 to over 40% in 2019.
2. Rwanda: Rwanda has the highest proportion of women in parliament in the world, with women holding 61% of seats in the lower house of parliament. This is largely due to a quota system introduced in 2003, which requires that 30% of all parliamentary seats be reserved for women.
3. Sweden: Sweden has a policy of gender parity in politics, with political parties required to have an equal number of men and women on their candidate lists. This has resulted in women holding 47% of seats in the Swedish parliament.
4. France: France introduced a gender parity law in 2000, requiring that all political parties field an equal number of male and female candidates in elections. This has led to an increase in the number of women in the French parliament, with women now holding 39% of seats in the National Assembly.
5. Argentina: Argentina introduced a quota system in 1991, which requires that at least 30% of all party candidates for national and provincial legislative elections be women. This has resulted in an increase in the number of women in the Argentine congress, with women now holding 41% of seats in the lower house and 43% in the senate.
6. South Africa: South Africa introduced a gender quota law in 1994, which requires that women hold at least 50% of all positions on candidate lists for national and provincial elections. This has led to an increase in the number of women in the South African parliament, with women now holding 46% of seats in the lower house and 42% in the upper house.
7. Spain: Spain introduced a gender quota law in 2007, requiring that political parties field an equal number of male and female candidates in elections. This has resulted in an increase in the number of women in the Spanish parliament, with women now holding 42% of seats in the lower house and 45% in the upper house.
8. Belgium: Belgium introduced a gender quota law in 1994, requiring that political parties field an equal number of male and female candidates in elections. However, this law was only applied to European Parliament elections, not national elections. In 2002, the law was extended to national elections, but with a lower quota of 33%. As of 2021, women hold 42% of seats in the Belgian parliament.
9. Mexico: Mexico introduced a gender quota law in 2002, requiring that political parties field an equal number of male and female candidates in federal and state elections. The law also requires that women hold at least 50% of positions in government bodies responsible for promoting gender equality. As of 2021, women hold 49% of seats in the lower house and 50% in the upper house of the Mexican congress.
10. India: India’s Women’s Reservation Bill proposes to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. The bill has been introduced in various forms since the 1990s but has faced significant opposition and has not yet been passed into law. As of 2021, women hold only 22% of seats in the Lok Sabha and 9% of seats in state legislative assemblies

In conclusion, while gender quota laws and other reforms have helped increase the representation of women in politics in many countries, much work remains to be done to achieve gender equality and equity in political representation. This requires not only legal and institutional changes but also a shift in attitudes and social norms regarding the role of women in politics and leadership.