Women's Political Participation in India: A Harsh Reality

Abstract We live in a democratic country and freedom is a gift of democracy to us. Our constitution gives us the right to freedom and most importantly to exercise this freedom in an equitable manner. At the same time it is incumbent on the part of the state to ensure that equality prevails in all sections of the society. However in today’s time one of the major roadblocks to this equality is Gender Inequality. India being a developing nation is currently facing many challenges and gender inequality being one of them. Gender acts as a division, as a difference in our society. In India, gender equality is seen in movements, in write-ups but not in reality. Even after so many years of independence, gender inequality is widely recognized as the most prevalent form of social disadvantage in India. Keywords: Women, Political Participation, Democratic Country, Gender Inequality, Political Empowermen