Youth voice
Women’s Reservation
It will open up closed avenues
For
Our Government’s various socio- economic programmes mainly talk about women empowerment in India. The question arises whether women are being given adequate freedom to take their own decisions and no longer considered as decoration pieces. The reality is just the opposite with a majority of women in India facing discrimination on various accounts. Evils like pardah and dowry system, female infanticide, domestic violence and sexual harassment still exist. As per Census 2001, female literacy in India is 53.7 percent as against male literacy of 75.3 percent. Although women represent 48.26 percent of total population, only 14.68 percent are employed. As on 9/1/2007, women constitute only 9.07 percent in the Parliament. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats (at least one-third) in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women. However, women, whether in urban or rural areas, are still considered as vulnerable class. Their capabilities and potentials remain suppressed or untapped.
Though women like Indira Gandhi, Kiran Bedi, Aishwarya Rai, and a few others have shown the world their mettle, many are still struggling for success. They need to be given appropriate opportunities to speak out their mind to the world. So, reservation for women preferably in educational institutions, political and administrative set up is necessary, so that they may contribute a lot to the progress of India. In male-dominated society, they are kept away from active political scenario of the country. It is high time that they should be given proper recognition and Women’s Reservation Bill, for reserving about 33 percent seats for women in Parliament and State Legislatures, needs to be approved. This way, women in authority can make the world a better place to live in for themselves and for others by generating sound employment avenues, along with better health and educational facilities.Reservation definitely opens the path for bringing women at par with men in almost all spheres of life.
Neha Gupta is a Ph.D Scholar in Economics at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Will it guarantee empowerment?
Against
The foremost question to ask is – Will reservation guarantee empowerment? It will definitely fill up a third of the seats with female politicians but will they bring the voice of the weak and downtrodden to the fore? And if they were to gain seats, can we ascertain that they would raise independent voices, free from the pressure to perform in line with the ideals of their own male party members, shrewd and roughened with experience.
Laloo Prasad, President of RJD which is opposed to the women’s reservation bill, when asked about his stand replied, “If they think women would vote independently, they are mistaken. If I asked Rabri Devi to vote a certain way, do you think she would do otherwise?” This is a likely indication that female newcomers into politics will be fielded by parties to voice their own demands and objectives and access a larger vote bank.
Empirical evidence can only be used to arbitrate if reservations of a different sort, those for backward communities have been beneficial. It is but a handful of truly deserving minorities from backward regions who benefit. Which brings us to the next important question – Is it worthwhile to reserve seats at the higher level without tackling the problem at the grassroots?
Candidates would work more efficiently when educated. Awareness is the first step to ensuring that the next generation of women politicians would win seats on the basis of merit. Providing education, especially at the primary level is a difficult and logically complex task but the only one that will ensure that the practice of reservation does not continue till perpetuity.
While it remains clear that hastily instituted reservations alone cannot solve a problem that has persisted since long. Only a few elections can tell if reservations will serve the female population well. With the current provision for free and compulsory education for girls in primary government schools and the laudable performance of women in traditional areas such as medicine and banking, the need of the hour is not so much reservation but a gradual change of the attitudes of families to allow their daughters to pursue higher education and a career of her choice.
Loveleen De graduated from IIM, Ahmedabad in March.
