Strengthening women's participation in the electoral process

December 18th, 2013Arti AhujaSecretary WCD, Odisha

Scheme of presentationWomen in different roles in the

electoral process Historical and current perspectiveWhat are the issues?What are the possible solutions?

Women’s participation in the electoral process-

As votersAs candidates As political party members As campaignersAs members of the electoral

administration. As observers

As voters- What's the verdict today?

Delhi- 65 percent women- over 3.4 million, turned up to vote. Increase of 9% from last elections

High levels of women voting- Chhattisgarh 77.27%, MP- 70.11, Raj- 75.33 of total women electorate

How it all started: Women’s suffrage movement

Foundation of the Women’s Indian Association (WIA) in 1917 by Annie Besant, Margaret Cousins and Dorothy Jinarajadasa – all Irish women Theosophists, who had been suffragettes in their own country.

WIA was the first all India women’s association with the clear objective of securing voting rights for women

Travancore-Cochin, a princely state, was the first to give voting rights to women in 1920, followed by Madras and Bombay in 1921. Franchise was extremely limited. Women could vote only if they possessed qualifications of wifehood, property and education.All women over 21 could vote provided they fulfilled the qualification of property and educationUniversal adult franchise – only after independenceConstitution of India guarantees equal rights to men and women as voters and citizens

Post-Independence-

Women do not form a community : National Backward Classes Commission under the chairmanship of Kakasaheb Kalelkar (1953)

Committee on the Status of Women in India (1974)- “though women’s participation in the political process has increased, their ability to produce an impact on the political process has been negligible because of the inadequate attention paid to their political education and mobilization by both political parties and women’s organizations. Parties have tended to see women voters as appendages of the males. Among women, the leadership has become diffused and diverse having sharp contradictions with regard to inequalities that affect the status of women in every sphere – social, economic and political.”

CSWI"The right to political equality has not

enabled women to play their roles as partners and constituents in the political process […] Instead, these rights have helped to build an illusion of equality and power which is frequently used as an argument to resist special protective and acceleratory measures to enable women to achieve their just and equal position in society."

As candidates-

National Perspective Plan for Women(1988)33 per cent of seats in all elected assemblies, from the

village to the Union level, be reserved for women, Political parties to promote women's electoral

representation by giving at least 33 per cent of their tickets to women candidates

Panchayati Raj system – mandatory inclusion of women73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act mandated

reservation of one-third seats in the village, block, districts, municipal elected bodies in India.

In Odisha – 50% of the seats are reserved for women for 2 terms

Delhi: 70/810 candidates who contested assembly elections, only 3, all from AAP, could win.

Women participation in formal politics today-Election campaigning – recognition of women's vote

Parties trying to mobilize women support (offering inducements like saris, utensils, mangalsutras, and even money),

Women voter turn-out has increased from 38.8 % in the fifties to nearly 60 % and more now But there exist a gender gap

Under represented in state & national legislative bodies- less than 10%

Zee Research Group (ZRG) study of women candidates in assembly polls from 2009-2013 - all the assembly polls held during the last five years, as many as 22 states registered less than 10% participation of women candidates in these elections. Three states observed less than 5% women

participation during assembly elections.Overall increase in female voter turnout observed

during the period. Uttar Pradesh (UP) observed an 18.36% increase in female voter turnout in 2012 assembly polls, while in Gujarat it grew by about 12.48%.

The best women candidate participation level achieved during last five years is 10% in Odisha (2009) and the worst performing state was Nagaland with 1.1% (2013)

Maximum (32) women candidates in Odisha were independent

ConcernsGender and women’s issues remain absent from the daily

discussions of politics- sporadic, stereotypical, often biased.Women are not considered a homogenous “vote bank” Women suffer due to low literacy, poor preparatory

training, a high household work burden and negative attitudes towards women in public office

Invisibility of women , especially some womenGiven Unwinnable constituenciesOr seen as mascots

Way forwardWomen’s development – central agenda of elections and

political parties- is there a possibility ???In the recent Delhi elections – the safety and security

issue of women was an issue raised in the election campaigning – scope of mainstreaming of women’s agenda

Communications for women have to be properly linked to their live situations and as such, specially designed and at the same time taking into account varying demographical, socio cultural, economic and linguistic factors

Way forward

Access to polling stations and accessible polling stations

Facilities therein (crèche, toilet, sitting etc.) should be enhanced so that children accompanying the women may be taken care of and are not made to stand for long hours.

Waiting time for women should be reduced – they could vote on priority.

Ensuring participation of those on the margins- migrants, FSWs, incarcerated, institutionalised

Way forwardAffirmative action

Reservation in legislative bodiesWomen in decision making positions in political parties and in

governmentAddress the practical needs of women : water, sanitation, housing,

transportStrategic needs : violence free, non discrimination Build leadership capabilities and capacities of young girls and womenAugment women’s agency – empower their thought process and

decision making spaces both in the private domain as well as in public domain

Role of government, CSOs, community and family

9.6 Political representation, participation and decision making1 Ensure engendering of institutional and

operational frameworks through gender sensitization of all elected representatives and decision making bodies at all levels

PRSSDH & UD

2 Ensure universal coverage of elected women representatives in capacity building and training programmes in rural and urban local bodies and have specific modules for women representatives under Panchayati Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA)

PRSSDH & UD

9.6 Political representation, participation and decision making3 Gender interests at the core of rural local

governance processes through mahila sabhas at GP level, fifty percent women representation in palli, gram sabha, and in the statutory Standing Committees and revival of the standing committee on women and children. Issues of girls and women including violence will be a specific agenda in the palli sabha and gram sabha

PR

4 Capacity building programmes for girls and women for effective political participation, voting rights and leadership with integration of specific modules into WSHG training programmes; youth leadership and development programmes and other programmes meant for girls and women

PR DSYS

9.6 Political representation, participation and decision making5 Move appropriate and suitable amendments in the

Odisha GP Rules and Acts to remove any discriminatory practices that prohibit or restrict women to participate effectively

PR

6 Ensure an enabling, supportive and non discriminatory environment so that the elected women representatives can perform their roles and responsibility effectively

All concerned departments

7 Mandatory women representation of all commissions, corporations, cooperatives, boards and such other bodies

All concerned departments

Lastly,

The Inter parliamentary union ranks India 108th in women's representation in national legislature, below Pakistan and Afghanistan

“Politicians promise jobs and protecting security- we want to be able to get our own jobs and protect ourselves- give us the voice so we can empower ourselves”

Thank you