The Indian government have introduced a bill that will secure India’s women one third of the seats in National Parliament and State Legislatures if it gets passed.
The proposal has lead to many comments of outrage and protest within the Indian government. However it has also gained many supporters. Although there are many protesters of the bill, there are over 3 political parties supporting the movement. This is a great step up from the first time the bill was proposed in 1996 (it did not pass).
At present women make up 10% of the lower house of parliament. Although this is an improvement it does mean that the women of India hold just 59 seats in a room of 545. Hardly a fair male to female ratio. If the bill gets passed the 59 seats would rise to 181.
The proposed bill has lead to many unhappy political groups in parliament, with 2 parties withdrawing their support for the current congress-led government. Despite this analysts expect the bill to be passed, after 14 years of deadlock.
Sonia Gandhi is the Congress party president, she is also a huge supported of the bill. Sonia stated that if the proposal was passed it would be like a “gift to the women of India”.
All though it is only fair that women have their say, perhaps some seats would be taken up by women for the sake of having women in parliament. It would be the correct thing to discount gender from the process and decide who get a seat in parliament from their actions and views. This may mean that India’s women get less than their 181 proposed seats; however it could also mean they receive more.
It seems that the political parties, who are against this movement, should stand up and publicly announce why they are so adamantly against it. Is it because this would mean some would loose out on their seats in parliament? Or is it because they hold the old fashioned opinion that women simply cannot do the job as well as the men?
If their reason is the latter then I would urge them to look at the governing councils of local towns, where women already hold a third of the seats… few problems have occurred, and it has even worked in the councils benefit.
Voting is expected to take place on Tuesday 9th March 2010.
What is your opinion on why there has been so much opposition of the bill? Do you think that India’s women deserve a third of the seat in their parliament? Have your say…
About Tessa Biddulph
Other articles by Tessa Biddulph
Tessa Biddulph works in the marketing department and is new to Bales Worldwide. She is spending a year at Bales Worldwide before heading back to university to complete a PR degree. Tessa’s favourite destination she has travelled to is Sydney, Australia, but since working at Bales she has already drawn up a long list of places she’d like to visit (number 1 being Machu Picchu, in Peru). 
If the tally of all parties which have decided to support the bill is added up, the bill will easily pass. It needs 2/3 majority in each house of national Parliament as well as 2/3 majority in half of state legislatures to pass. The bill will get 80-90% ayes if parties issue whips (mandations to their MPs to vote in a particular way). If whips were not issued, the bill would get considerably less support and not pass.
However, the real worry for the government is that with the exit of the parties opposed to this bill, it has a majority of just 1 MP more than the minimum required to rule the country. And they still have to pass the finance bill (regarding which many other allies have publicly issued concerns).
Nevertheless I am against this bill. I would support the bill had our Parliament been operating on proportional representation system, but in the first past the post system where an MP is supposed to nurture his/her constituency, this law would kill such an incentive.
However if the bill does pass, I would be satisfied with the kind of political progress India’s women have been able to make and would congratulate them.