Political Empowerment of Indian Women at the Local Level of Governance

Abstract

Gender equality and empowerment of women are key requirements for achieving all-round progress. Despite numerous efforts at global and national levels, the reality is that gender discrimination is present everywhere and the situation is no better in India. Although the Constitution of India, 1950, has guaranteed equal political rights to both men and women, but in practice the process of governance is not gender-neutral. There is low participation of women in the political sphere. There has been a rising concern regarding augmenting their participation and representation at all levels of politics. It is worth noting that there are no special provisions for facilitating the participation of women in national - and state - level politics, but the Constitution of India provides special provisions for their participation in local authorities – Panchayats and municipalities. The Constitution (Seventy-Third Amendment) Act, 1992, and the Constitution (Seventy-Fourth Amendment) Act, 1992, have started a new era in the democratic process by providing an opportunity to women to take direct part in local government and, thus, bring them at the centre of local development and grass root-level leadership. The constitutional provision of reservation of seats for women in local bodies is contributing a lot to their empowerment by making their participation in local decision making a reality. The noticeable presence of women is positively affecting the process of public governance. However, women face numerous challenges, which prevent their meaningful participation in the political system. Earnest measures on a sustained basis are required to enable them to overcome these challenges.