Arshia Bhatnagar
Introduction
Women’s reservation in political and administrative spaces has emerged as a transformative step towards achieving gender equality and empowering women in decision-making roles. However it took decades of discussions and efforts to pass this bill recently and despite progressive legislation and constitutional amendments, the implementation and effectiveness of women’s reservation in India present a complex picture. This article explores the need , legislative history, and ground-level realities of women’s reservation, aiming to assess whether policies have translated into practical empowerment.
This research paper will talk about the condition of women reservation in India and various other countries and its implementation at the grassroot level.
Background
India not different from the world , has a long-standing history of gender-based disparity, extending in political representation as well. Although women have historically played important roles in freedom movements and social reforms, their representation in legislatures remained minimal pre and post independence.
To address this gap, the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) mandated 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies. This move was hailed as revolutionary, leading to over a million elected women representatives at the grassroots level. However, the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill took over two decades to materialize. It was finally passed as the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, marking a major policy milestone.
Despite these legislative measures, the practical reality is women getting no support from society to join politics or being just puppets in the name of leaders and the major decisions being taken by their husbands.
Objectives
This research aims to:
- Analyse the evolution of women’s reservation in India, including key legislative milestones and their implementations
- Assess the impact of reservation policies at both grassroots and higher legislative levels.
- Identify challenges in the practical implementation of women’s reservation in political institutions.
- Evaluate the gap between policy and practice, particularly in terms of autonomy, leadership, and participation.
- Suggest strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of women’s representation through reservations.
Conclusion
Women’s reservation has indeed increased numerical representation, especially at the grassroots level, enabling greater visibility and voice for women in local governance.And it has been practically and statistically proved more just, efficient and effective. However, the practical reality remains complex. Issues such as patriarchal control, lack of political training, societal stigma, and limited financial independence continue to restrict the potential of this policy and this change.
The passage of the Women’s Reservation Act in 2023 is a landmark development, but its success depends on implementation mechanisms, political will, and social change. Genuine empowerment will occur not just by reserving seats but by creating an enabling environment where women can participate, lead, and influence policies meaningfully and the men do not feel offended by that .This is important for the social , cultural, political and the economic growth of the society.
About the Author
Arshia Bhatnagar- A fellow of Law and Public policy youth fellowship chohort 5. A second year student pursuing economic honours from Banaras Hindu University
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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