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Give women their due

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated, on international women's day, his government's commitment to evolving a consensus on the contentious Women's Reservation Bill; and political leaders across party lines recently expressed their verbal support for the bill. Nevertheless, the goal of reserving one-third of the seats in Parliament and State legislatures for women continues to be elusive. The Women's Reservation Bill was first introduced in Parliament in 1996, but with diverse objections from political quarters the bill has been a non-starter (the exception has been the Left parties, whose support for the cause has been consistent). The United Progressive Alliance has declared that the bill, which is a priority in the Common Minimum Programme, would be passed before the end of the government's tenure if not in the current session. However, roadblocks in the form of an array of specious arguments remain. Some of these are demands for sub-quotas for women from the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Classes within the 33.3 per cent quota. This ostensibly springs from a foreboding that the quotas will be dominated by women from elite backgrounds. The provision for rotation of seats is also rejected by some members who are dead opposed to vacating long-held positions of power in their constituencies. There are other objections such as the possible `ghettoisation' of women, and an increase in the numbers of wives and daughters of politicians capturing the political space. What these arguments mask is a deep-rooted antagonism to women taking their legitimate place in electoral politics.

It is a matter of shame that in a progressive democracy like India, only 8.3 per cent of the members of Parliament are women, according to data published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in February 2007. India ranks well below countries such as Pakistan and China in this regard. The positive experience of reservation for women in panchayats and urban local bodies indicates that reservation in Parliament and State legislatures will work strongly to the advantage of women. In a patriarchal, tradition-bound society, if more women can be elected to positions of power, the problems that continue to afflict women such as oppression, violence, discrimination, and the lack of opportunities can be overcome sooner. Political empowerment is the best chance to ensure that fair equality of opportunity exists. It is time political parties put aside their quibbling and worked together to make the just representation of women in Parliament and in State legislatures a reality by ensuring the immediate passage of this important legislation.

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