Question

The recently concluded general elections to the 17th Lok Sabha has registered a higher number of women members in Parliament as compared to the 16th Lok Sabha general elections. Although this is an encouraging sign, there is much more needed to be done towards achieving the goal of women empowerment in India. Discuss

Answer 1

Approach:

• Start answer by providing data about increased number of elected female MPs
• Write about steps/measures that can be taken to further women empowerment.
• Provide Conclusion based on arguments provided.

The 17th Lok Sabha has the highest number of women MPs. Women’s representation has steadily increased in the Lok Sabha. In the first-ever election, only 5% of the House consisted of women. Now, that has increased to 14%. This is still a low number given that it is not near proportional representation. The U.S. has 32% lawmakers, while neighbouring Bangladesh has 21%. But still it is an encouraging sign.
Although increasing the number of women legislators is a part of empowering women but there are many other things which we need to do for achieving the goal of women empowerment in India.

Various Measures that can be taken for Women Empowerment:

1. Provide the ticket to education: clean water.
Girls in poor communities often miss school because of a lack of clean water in their village. Instead of attending class, millions of girls and women around the world spend 200 million hours each day fetching water that is often dirty and dangerous to their health. By providing clean water/tapped water in their house we can open the door to education for a young girl. And nothing can empower them more than education.

2. Support girls and women in crisis.
Millions of girls are subjected to abuse, child labor, trafficking, child marriage, and other offenses. Protecting girls and women by equipping skilled, local staff to offer training, education, counseling, medical care, small business loans, and other programs that reach women and girls as well as boys — helping to end cycles of gender-based violence.

3. Mentor a girl close to home.
A growing poverty rate, poor-performing schools, and teen violence make it tough to be a girl growing up in the society. Reach out and influence the life of a young girl in your own community by volunteering as a tutor or mentor. One way to establish a mentorship is through Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

4. Invest in a small business owner.
Up to 87% of the poorest households in India do not have access to credit, and up to 380 million people are in need of microfinance services, especially women. Unfortunately, women do not have access to many business and educational opportunities that men do. Through microloans, women in India are able to start businesses and develop economic security. Women learn new skills creating economic development and sustainability, a network of support, and financial independence in their lives.
5. Ensuring equal wages and non-discrimination based on gender, especially in higher level management
6. Investing in health, menstruation hygiene and nutritional support especially to adolescent and lactating mothers.
7. Prevention of sexual violence against women and improving the criminal justice system.
8. Political Empowerment of Women

The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided some special powers to women for reservation of seats (33%). ‘The New Panchayati Raj’ is the part of the effort to empower women at least at the village level. More such steps are needed at State and National levels. There is need for the consensus from different political parties on women reservation bill which being debated for quite a long time.
Empowering women needs to be about more than economics and requires changing the power dynamics and other cultural factors that repress women. So that they can make decisions about their life and mobility, control their money and have access to information, transport, tools and land.