Sample Materials of SSC CGL (Tier -3) Study Kit

Subject: Essay

Topic: Women’s Reservation Bill Would Usher in Empowerment for Women in India.

Since the ancient times when King’s were said to have as many as 200 wives, the social evils like sati, female infanticide, dowry and child marriage have been haunting the Indian Society. The prevalence of such fanatical practices is not only a sin but a matter of national shame. Since Independence concrete efforts have been made for the upliftment of women and to educate them on important issues of social, economic, political, legal cadre. Women upliftment and empowerment in India first received National and International recognition when the Indira Gandhi’s Government launched the Indira Mahila Yojana and when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) incorporated the issue of Women Upliftment as one of its primary objective. Since then a string of social programmes and yojanas have been undertaken to empower the rural women like the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh and Mahila Samridhi Yojana. 

The government of India felt the need to put in place an appropriate institutional mechanism to look after the Rights of Women and thus instituted the formulation of All India Women’s Conference, National Women’s Commission and State Women’s Commission along with approval of special grants and allowances to NGO’s working for the cause of women upliftment and social mobility. Self Help Groups have also been constituted at Panchayat level to provide a platform for the rural women to discuss issues such as family planning, child marriage, widow remarriage, Sati, domestic violence. Mother Teresa’s Women University has greatly helped in the cause of women empowerment who received Noble Peace Prize for her benign social work. Recently World Bank approved funding for Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Programme (APRPRP) thus garnering international support for the upliftment of women. Women’s reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha has gained momentum with Govt. of India promising the reservation of one-third seats in Parliament for the women.

The Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced amid much controversy in the Rajya Sabha. The manner in which the proceedings unfolded, convey the sorry tale of democracy in our country and the practice thereof, wherein MPs get physical over disagreements over policy. But more importantly, it clearly highlighted, yet again, the degradation of what was once a noble and just cause of women empowerment, which has been reduced to a shameless greed for power in the name of one’s gender.

Firstly, the policy of reservation as an elixir to uplift sections of society is flawed. Reservation systems sacrifice merit for mediocrity. Right from the birth of India as a republic, leaders have spoken out against the reservation system. In a letter to all chief ministers on June 27, 1961, Nehru said the following about reservations - “…I have referred above to efficiency and to our getting out of our traditional ruts. This necessitates our getting out of the old habit of reservations and particular privileges being given to this caste or that group…I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in services. I react strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards….If we go in for reservations on communal and caste basis; we swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. I want my country to be a first class country in everything. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost. I am grieved to learn how far this business of reservation has gone based on communal considerations….This way lays not only folly but disaster.”

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The Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB) providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislatures has been a non-starter through seven Lok Sabhas, from 1946 onwards. Successive governments have placed it on the floor of the House, only to have it shelved. The bill is now firmly on the national political agenda and political parries know that sooner or later, something will have to be done. It is for this reason that proposals and counter proposals are being suggested by our political leaders to show that alleast publicly they are not hostile to the bill. The Bill in its current form envisages 181 seats in the parliament for women. In practical terms, its effort would that 181 male members of Parliament would not be able to contest elections if the Bill is passed. Also there is to be a rotation of seats, i.e. a male Member of Parliament cannot represent the sane constituency for more than two consecutive terns.

Securing 33% reservation for women in parliament will open the door of opportunity for political empowerment to almost 50% of our population. It will not only serve the cause of democracy as the Panchayati Raj institutions are doing at the grass roots level but will also go a long way in ensuring political equality through active participation of women in both turban and rural areas. Also, if social equality through political empowerment is to be achieved, the Bill should include clauses which guarantee quote within quota to women belonging to SCs and STs, OBCs and minority communities so that a level playing field is provided for them as well.

In India, the post-Independence period has seen many positive steps to improve the socio-economic status of women. Women themselves have become keenly aware of their rights and are spearheading movements across the country. This consciousness is largely due to an increase in women’s literacy although they have miles and miles to go. The most significant landmark in the Journey is the historic 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, 1993, by the Centre and its ratification by the states. This has created the possibility for about 1,000,000 women to get elected to village panchayats and urban municipalities. What is evident from the proposed 81st Amendment Bill and indeed front the legislative changes in the form of the 74th Amendment Act, is that political representation of women has become an important issue in Indian politics. The Indian Constituent Assembly decided to enshrine in the Constitution a special 9th schedule that would allow the politics of affirmative action through reservation.

Reservation Bill will help in promoting gender mainstreaming. Other initiatives aimed at mobilizing women in self-help groups and focusing on income and awareness generation e.g. Mahila Samridhi Yojana—a scheme for empowerment of women through economic development, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh­a national credit fund for channelling for income generation, /CDS to name a few.

Women’s reservation bill is needed all the more because:

(i) While the political participation of women is inching forward bit by bit, in India it has actually declined.
(ii) Government and politics are more important factors in the economic, social and power structures in India than in most other countries with stronger civil societies, and so, the effect of women’s marginalization in politics in even more detrimental here .
(iii) The increasing violence, sexual harassment and victimization of women at the ground levels in mans of our political parties has made their participation extremely hazardous now.

One of the most puzzling features of the depressed level of women’s political representation in our legislature bodies is that it seems to have no direct correlation with literacy and other seemingly related indicators. A comparison between Kerala and Rajasthan, whose literacy rates are at opposite ends of the spectrum, demonstrates this clearly. In Kerala the overall literacy rate is reportedly 90 percent and female literacy is 86 percent. By contrast, in Rajasthan female literacy is a mere 20 percent and only 12 percent of females are literate in rural areas. Kerala has a matrilineal tradition in which women have a much larger measure of autonomy and they tend to marry late. In Rajasthan most women live in far more restricted lines and still live in Purdah and perform child marriages. But the cultural and educational advantage that women in Kerala have, does not translate into higher political participation as compared to Rajasthan. The percentage of women in the legislative assemblies of both states is low. Similarly Manipur which has the tradition of women playing a dominant role in community never produced a single woman legislator till 1990 when it elected its first.

There is little skepticism about the issue of women’s political empowerment. Year 2001 was declared as ‘women’s Empowerment year’ to focus on the vision in the new century of a nation where women are equal partners with men”. But certain glaring figures- such as declining sex ratio (927 per 1,000 males), child marriage, poor literacy rate, domestic violence, dowry, pervasive gender discrimination-portray a grim picture of women’s plight.

The argument is that political equality could not be realized without social and economic equality.

The Beijing Declaration links women’s participation in institutional politics with their empowerment in the social and economic life. The empowerment and autonomy of women and the improvement of women’s social, economic and political status is essential for the achievement of both transparent and accountable government and administration and sustainable development in all areas of life. India is way behind in women’s participation in politics. While women’s representation in parliament is as high as 45 percent in Sweden, 38 percent in Finland and 36 percent in Norway, it is only 8 percent in India. By 2002, only II countries had reached the 30 percent benchmark. Pervasive gender discrimination has resulted in sidelining even the veteran women politicians.

Women in India have made major inroads in various male-dominated professions, including the governmental bureaucracy. In the fields of business, medicine, engineering, law, art, and culture, women who were given opportunities to acquire the necessary skills and education have proven themselves capable of holding their own, without availing of any special measures to facilitate their entry. But they have failed to gain ground in the field of politics. Moreover, the agenda of women’s empowerment seems to have lost the kind of moral and political legitimacy it enjoyed during the freedom movement, as was evident from the ugly scenes in the aftermath of tabling the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament. Such a response would have been inconceivable in the India of the 1920s to the 1940s. All these trends indicate that women’s representation in politics requires special consideration, and cannot be left to the forces that presently dominate our parties and government. Today, even the best of our female Parliamentarians feel sidelined and powerless within their respective parties.

The few women in leadership positions have not been able to encourage the entry of greater numbers of women in electoral and party politics, and are an ineffective minority within their own respective political groupings.

The very same male party leaders who compete with each other in announcing their support of special reservations for women have shown little willingness to include women in party decision-making, or even to help create a conducive atmosphere for women’s participation in then- own organizations. In fact, women’s marginalization is even more pronounced in the day-to-day functioning of almost all political parties than in the Lok Sabha. Therefore, it is urgently required that we take special measures to enhance women’s political participation in ways that help them influence decision-making at all levels of our society and polity. Our democracy will remain seriously flawed if it fails to yield adequate space to women. Given this worrisome scenario, the national debate and efforts to provide constitutional and legal mechanisms to enhance women’s participation in legislatures are welcome and long-overdue. The latest news items regarding violence committed against women reveal that women’s position has worsened. The Constitution of India grants equality to women in various fields of life. Yet a large number of women are either ill equipped or not in a position to propel themselves out of their traditionally unsatisfactory socio-economic conditions. They are poor, uneducated and insufficiently trained. They are often absorbed in the struggle to sustain the family physically and emotionally and as a rule are discouraged from taking interest in affairs outside home. Oppression and atrocities on women are still rampant. Patriarchy continues to be embedded in the social system in many parts of India, denying a majority of women the choice to decide on how they live.

That’s why the Government of India had ushered in the new millennium by declaring the year 2001 as ‘Women’s Empowerment Year’ to focus on a vision ‘where women are equal partners like men’. The most common explanation of ‘women’s empowerment’ is the ability to exercise full control over one’s actions. The last decades have witnessed some basic changes in the status and role of women in our society. There has been shift in policy approaches from the concept of ‘welfare’ in the seventies to ‘development’ in the eighties and now to ‘empowerment’ in the nineties. This process has been further accelerated with some sections of women becoming increasingly self-conscious of their discrimination in several areas of family and public life. They are also in a position to mobilize themselves on issues that can affect their overall position. Since time immemorial, Indian society has accorded respect to women. Now as a democracy, we have to give women a proper space in a significant way in the democratic setup. The tokenism of reservation for women must be converted into a meaningful and substantive role for them. We in the BJP were the first to demand reservation for women at our Baroda convention in the late 1980s. This process is a tool of empowerment which comes from participation which, in turn, comes from opportunity. This progression from opportunity to participation to empowerment is the basic logic behind asking for reservations for women. From asking for quotas within quotas to arguing that dealing with issues like female foeticide would benefit women more, the arguments remain unchanged. ‘This will empower women but asking for quotas within quotas, as some are doing, will kill the bill since it may amount to rewriting the Constitution’

Traditionally, males are reluctant to concede space, particularly when the question of empowerment comes up. Exceptions apart, this has been the general experience, hence reservations through a legislative instrument make the social change mandatory and unarguable. A large number of reservations for women in panchayats have been in place all over the country. We have seen for the last few years the phenomenon of veiled mukhias and sarpanches conducting the affairs of their panchayats where earlier they could not even dream of intervening. For example, when I travelled to a small village in Bihar to inaugurate a new road built through my Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund, I met a budding woman panchayat leader.

She addressed a crowd of her own people with a trembling voice. I was informed that this was the first time in her life that she had done so. I am convinced that this was just a beginning for her. The second or third time that she will be called upon to intervene through her role in the panchayat, the trembling would have ceased and a new confidence would have taken its place. There I see a new India emerging.

It is important that there be a constructive consensus behind women’s reservation because it would usher in a new revolution in India. Those who talk of sub-categories of reservations for OBCs, or Dalit Muslims and Christians in this larger question of reservation need to know that in the last 60 years, as per our Constitution, we have given reservations only to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Religion-based reservation is prohibited under the Constitution. Therefore, insistence over a sub-categorisation of reservation would have long-term disastrous consequences because this reservation then cannot be confined only to women and would have a spill-over effect for all, apart from its problematic legal position.

Additional Article

Women’s Reservation Bill: Imperfect yet Perfect

When we deliberate the women issues in India the Jubilant mood amongst Indian women is evident as the historic attempt was made to redress the decade’s history of gender injustice with the Rajya Sabha passing the Women’s reservation Bill by a 186 to 1 majority, which seeks to grant 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. With fierce battle to be met in Lok Sabha, the ambiguities within the bill, uncertainness about the successful execution of the proposed amendment, the situation is far from being complacent and joyous. An attempt is made here to enhance the readers understanding of the merits & demerits brought forward as a part of discussions upon the bill.

Irrespective of the threats of withdrawal of support by Samajwadi Party and RJD and unruly scenes disrespecting the chair of the upper house of Parliament, on the landmark day of March 8, when the world over, there was celebration of a centenary year of International Women’s day, we all witnessed making of history in Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010.

A layman’s perception has always been that women are too fragile or less sensible to understand the peculiarities of Politics, then how will this reservation help them? A note of clarification is needed here that Politics is an art of decision making, the art of turning impossible to possible. By their sheer patience, perseverance and nurturing nature, women are the foremost human creatures, who right from the domestic walls to corporate houses to bright screens, they are pervasive to decision making and politics thereof. This reservation will be like a new reality show for women to prove their mettle. How will the decision making, work of Parliament and policies of Government change? The answer to this dilemma is contingent upon how this act operates with the work of more women in Parliament. However it can be argued that the participation of women in Parliament from all walks of life will ensure better working of the house, learning from each other’s diversity and problems.

The past few weeks in Lok Sabha also put forward the new gimmicks of Politics in India. Sonia Gandhi’s image as an astute politician came forward where she could manoeuvre a consensus across party lines to introduce the bill. It was remarkable to see the synchronised effort by the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh where he firmly stood by her decision to go forward. It was reminiscent of quid-pro-quo when the Prime Minister was adamant for the Nuclear Deal in UPA I and the UPA chairperson used all her force to get him the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. This time in UPA II, it was the other way round, where the Prime Minister moved between several rounds of meetings to ensure that the Congress Party President gets it all her way to fulfil Rajiv Gandhi’s dream. It is argued that the bill will prove detrimental to the interest of several MPs who have been nurturing their constituency since decades as they never know when on rotational basis, it goes away from them.

There will be political instability with the fact that there are serious voices of dissent against the bill from all parties where the Party whip is being used to prevent Sonia Gandhi a la Congress, to walk away with all the gains. In the present multi-party coalition era, a thought needs to be paid as to how will the State legislatures, which are under non-Congress domain, enact the legislation? With states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu set for state legislative assembly elections next year, the UPA allies like Trinamool Congress and DMK have their own worries to be factored in, which the Government of the day cannot neglect. In trying to fight along these several constituents, there are fears that the bill which has good intentional intent yet deep structural flaws might prove detrimental to the very issue of women empowerment itself.

There is also no certain guarantee that it will ensure empowerment of women in the actual sense eg: there are so many SC/ST- MPs in Lok Sabha, who have been beneficiary of reservation since years, but how many of them have actually spoken up in unison when any SC/ST issue arises? Will the women MPs be brave enough, if situation arises, to keep interest of woman over their political party interest?

Good Things in Life Come in Small Packages!

Yet these lacunae cannot blind us to the fact that a commendable job has been done to redress part of gender injustice. The onus lies on women to use it to rise up and take up cudgels to use it to her benefit. It will usher a new ray of hope for political existence for women. So let every Indian woman take pride in this small package.

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