Women in Indian Politics

• 19 Mar 2026

For Prelims: Lok Sabha, 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, Constitution (106 Amendment) Act, 2023, SVEEP 

For Mains: Women’s Political Representation in India, Gender Equality and Democratic Deepening, Role of Political Parties in Inclusive Democracy

Source: TH 

Why in News?  

Women’s political participation in India highlights a major democratic paradox. The rise in electoral participation has not translated into proportional political representation or decision-making power. This gap continues to draw attention to structural barriers and the need for meaningful reforms.

Summary 

• India has achieved near gender parity in voter turnout, but women remain underrepresented in legislatures due to structural, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers. 
• Bridging this gap requires effective implementation of reservation policies, party-level reforms, and the removal of barriers to ensure women’s meaningful participation in decision-making.

What is the Current Status of Women in Indian Politics? 

• As Voters: Over the past six decades, the gender gap in voter turnout has steadily declined, indicating a profound transformation in India's electoral landscape. 
  • In the 1967 Lok Sabha election, male turnout was 66.7% and female turnout 55.5%, a gap of 11.2% points that slightly increased to 11.8 points in 1971 due to structural barriers like lower literacy and restricted mobility.  
  • Over time, with improvements in education, awareness, political outreach, and mobility, the gap steadily declined, reaching about 1.5 percentage points by 2014. 
  • In both the 2019 and 2024 general elections, women voted at almost the exact same rate as men (around 66%).  
    • In several State Assembly elections since the 1980s, female turnout has even surpassed male turnout. 
• Political Campaigns: Although voter turnout between men and women has reached near parity, campaign-level participation still shows a gender gap.  
  • Between 2009 and 2024, women’s attendance at election meetings and rallies increased from 9% to about 16%, while participation in processions and door-to-door canvassing rose from 5–6% to around 11%, yet men’s involvement remains roughly double. 
• As Representatives: Despite voting in record numbers, women remain largely excluded from the corridors of power. 
  • The 18th Lok Sabha has only 74 women MPs (13.6% of the 543 seats). This is a drop from the 17th Lok Sabha, which saw the highest-ever representation with 78 women MPs (14.4%). India's figures remain far below the global average of roughly 26%. 
  • The average representation of women in State Legislative Assemblies continues to hover around a dismal 9% to 10%. 
  • The bright spot remains at the grassroots level, where women constitute over 44% of representatives in local self-government institutions, supported by reservation provisions under Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). 

What Barriers Limit Women’s Political Participation? 

• Institutional and Structural Barriers: Political parties act as key gatekeepers and often deny women tickets citing “winnability”, despite evidence that women candidates often have comparable or higher success rates. 
  • Candidate selection and party decisions occur within male-dominated informal networks, limiting women’s access to leadership roles. 
  • Even when elected, women are frequently assigned “soft ministries” (e.g., Women and Child Development, Culture) rather than key portfolios like Home Affairs, or Defence. 
• Economic Barriers: Electoral politics is highly capital-intensive, creating a disadvantage for women who generally have less access to property, wealth, and campaign financing. 
  • Women are often excluded from political donor networks and business funding circles that support electoral campaigns. 
• Socio-Cultural and Patriarchal Barriers: Patriarchal norms continue to divide society into public (male) and private (female) spheres, discouraging women from entering politics. 
  • The burden of unpaid care work and household responsibilities limits time for political activities. 
  • In some cases, proxy representation occurs (e.g., the Sarpanch Pati phenomenon), where male relatives influence or control elected women representatives. 
• Hostile Political Environment: The presence of violence, intimidation, and criminalization in politics discourages women’s participation. 
  • Female politicians often face gendered attacks, character assassination, and online harassment, including threats and digital abuse, which creates psychological barriers to political engagement. 
• Capacity and Pipeline Deficit: Women are often excluded from traditional political pipelines like student unions and activist networks, and the lack of mentorship and leadership training limits their political capacity, sometimes leading to dependence on male relatives in governance. 
• Electoral System and Incumbency Barriers: The First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system encourages parties to field “safe” candidates, usually male incumbents with strong local networks.  
  • Since most seats are already held by men, the incumbency advantage further limits opportunities for new entrants, disproportionately affecting women’s chances of contesting and winning elections. 

What are India’s Initiatives to Promote Women’s Political Participation? 

• Constitutional Provisions for Local Governance: The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) mandated 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).  
  • More than 20 states (such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Gujarat) have increased the quota to 50%. 
  • As a result, India now has over 1.4 million elected women representatives at the local level. 
• Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023: The Constitution (106 Amendment) Act, 2023 provides 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. 
  • Implementation will begin after the Census 2027 and delimitation, and the provision will operate for 15 years. 
• Election Commission of India (ECI) Initiatives: SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) programme promotes awareness and increases women’s voter turnout through targeted campaigns. 
  • Introduction of “Sakhi” or Pink polling booths, managed entirely by women, to create a comfortable and safe voting environment. 
  • Special voter registration drives focus on first-time female voters and women who migrate after marriage. 
• Capacity Building and Leadership Training: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the National Commission for Women (NCW) conduct training programmes for elected women representatives. 
  • These programmes build skills in governance, financial management, and legislative processes. 
• Political Party-Level Initiatives: Some parties have voluntarily increased women’s representation in candidatures. 
  • For example, parties like Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have allocated 33% or more tickets to women in elections. 
• Role of Self-Help Groups (SHGs): Women’s Self-Help Groups under livelihood missions act as platforms for leadership development. 
  • Participation in SHGs improves financial independence, public speaking, and collective decision-making, encouraging women to enter local politics. 

What Measures can Strengthen Women’s Political Participation? 

• Legal Amendments to the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951: Make the registration and recognition of political parties strictly contingent upon an enforceable inner-party quota for women.  
  • Parties must allocate at least 33% of their organizational posts (Parliamentary Boards, Central Election Committees) to women. 
  • The legal definition of electoral corrupt practices must be updated. Character assassination of female candidates, the deployment of gender-targeted deepfakes, and weaponized digital misogyny should be explicitly codified as corrupt practices, leading to immediate disqualification of the offending candidate. 
• Reviving Dual-Member Constituencies: India successfully used dual-member constituencies in the 1952 and 1957 elections.  
  • Instead of rotating single-member reserved seats, select constituencies could elect two representatives—one male and one female.  
    • This forces parties to develop female leadership in every region without displacing entrenched male leaders. 
• Precision Financial Engineering: The ECI could amend election expenditure caps based on gender.  
  • Electoral trusts and corporate donors could be given enhanced tax exemptions if their donations are specifically earmarked for female candidates or capacity-building programs for women politicians. 
• Legally Dismantling the "Proxy" (Sarpanch Pati) Phenomenon: Grassroots representation can be strengthened by mandating Aadhaar-linked biometric authorization for Gram Panchayat funds, ensuring that only the elected woman representative exercises financial control, thereby preventing proxy governance by male relatives. 
• Formalizing Shadow Cabinets: The opposition should be encouraged to institutionalize the "Shadow Cabinet" system (common in the UK).  
  • Mandating women in top shadow portfolios allows them to debate finance and defense on the floor of the house, building their visibility and public credibility as serious administrators.

Conclusion

Women in India have moved from being silent voters to active political participants, reflecting stronger grassroots democracy. However, real progress requires going beyond voting to greater representation and decision-making power. This calls for effective implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, party-level reforms, and removal of structural and patriarchal barriers, making women’s leadership essential for inclusive governance and a Viksit Bharat. 

Drishti Mains Question:

Women in India vote in equal or higher numbers than men, yet remain underrepresented in legislatures. Examine the reasons behind this paradox.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. What is the current status of women’s representation in Parliament? 
Women constitute about 13.6% in the 18th Lok Sabha, far below their share in the electorate and the global average.

2. What is the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023? 
It provides 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, to be implemented after delimitation. 

3. How have the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments helped women? 
They mandate a minimum 33% reservation in PRIs and ULBs, leading to over 44% women representation at the grassroots

4. What are the major barriers to women’s political participation? 
Key barriers include patriarchy, lack of party tickets, financial constraints, unpaid care work, and political violence.

5. Why is women’s voter turnout high but representation low? 
Due to limited party nominations, structural inequalities, and socio-cultural constraints, participation does not translate into power.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question 

Q.1 What are the continued challenges for Women in India against time and space? (2019) 

Q.2 Discuss the desirability of greater representation to women in the higher judiciary to ensure diversity, equity and inclusiveness. (2021)