Women and Political Participation in India - A Study

Political space has always been the male domain. Issue about women’s equal participation in the political space has been debated for a long time. At independence the Indian constitution granted women equal rights of participation in political process as in democracy all the citizens should be active partners to make it a vibrant one. Women low status in society, low level of literacy, awareness of their constitutional right and responsibilities amounted for their invisibility in political space and low participation. The domination of caste system, patriarchy and combination of power equations restrict women to exercise their political rights. The 73rd constitunal amendment which gives women 33 percent reservation of the seats at all levels of panchayat systems has been widely perceived as a crucial steps empowering women through political participation