AN OVERVIEW OF WOMEN IN THE POLITICAL ARENA

This research paper focuses on women in the political arena particularly in India. For years women have been treated as second class citizens across the globe. Besides fighting for their basic rights, women have also had to fight for their political rights. Although, in India women have been politically active since the pre-independence period, their participation in the political sphere has been disproportionate. Historically, the Indian political system has been male dominated and women’s representation has been low. Women may have been given the “Right to Vote” since the beginning but their electoral representation has been low for many years. Multiple factors including a patriarchal mind-set, illiteracy, lack of access to resources etc. have been at play even after independence for their poor representation. To bridge the gender gap and to overcome the hurdles of gender stereotyping and gender discrimination, equal participation of women in electoral politics is a must. This paper essentially aims at analysing the current scenario in Indian politics with respect women’s participation. It will also analyse the impact of reservation of seats for women in the local-self-governments and how this could be replicated in the State Assemblies as well as the Parliament