India Shatters Gender Barriers: Historic Bill Reserves a Third of Parliament Seats for Women

India's parliament passed a historic bill on Thursday, reserving one-third of seats in the lower house and state assemblies for women. This victory for rights groups comes after decades of advocating for improved gender representation in politics. A significant majority of 215 lawmakers in the upper house voted in favor of the bill, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government during a special parliamentary session on Tuesday. The lower house also approved it on Wednesday.

Modi expressed his excitement on Twitter following the bill's approval, calling it a significant milestone in our country's democratic progress. He noted that the passing of this bill will enhance the representation of women and mark the beginning of a new era of empowerment. Despite facing six unsuccessful attempts since its introduction in 1996, the bill persevered despite strong opposition from certain lawmakers.

With a population of 1.4 billion people, India holds the title of the world's largest democracy. Within this vast country, women constitute nearly half of the 950 million registered voters, yet they only hold 15% of parliamentary seats and 10% of state assembly seats.

Although the quota system has been approved, its execution may be delayed for numerous years. This is due to the necessity of redrawing electoral constituencies, a process that will occur subsequent to the completion of India's once-in-a-decade census.

The massive census project, originally scheduled for 2021, faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained halted since then. Nevertheless, the approval of the bill in parliament will be perceived as an additional advantage for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the upcoming national elections in the next year.

Despite recent progress on women's issues in India, the country continues to have a deeply patriarchal society, with one of the lowest levels of female participation in politics. Since gaining independence in 1947, India has only had one female prime minister, Indira Gandhi, who served as the nation's leader on two occasions before tragically being assassinated in 1984.

Indias current President, Droupadi Murmu, who was appointed to the position last year became only the second woman to take the seat.