What Is Women Reservation Bill: Importance, Status, Purpose And More

According to the Constitution 108th Women Reservation Bill, 2008, women should be given a third (33%) of the seats in state legislative assemblies and the Parliament. Within the 33% quota, the law suggests sub-reservation for SCs, STs, and Anglo-Indians. Rotational allocation of reserved seats is an option for several state or union territory constituencies. The seats designated for women will be eliminated 15 years from the amendment act’s start date, according to the approved law.

Why Is the Women Reservation Bill important?

• Caste groups – Any plan for women’s reservation must adhere to constitutional principles and take caste diversity into consideration.

• Gender quota – Women’s representation would remain minimal without a gender quota, severely undermining our democracy.

• Panchayats – Recent research on panchayats has shown the beneficial impact of reservation on the distribution of resources and the empowerment of women.

• Vote share – Despite an increase in the percentage of women voting, there are still not enough women in positions of authority.

Purpose of Women Reservation Bill

This quota reserving 33% seats for women will leapfrog India into one of 64 countries around the world that have reserved seats for women in their national Parliaments. Typically, achieving a critical mass of 30 per cent representation by women in Parliament is known to yield positive outcomes for women's empowerment.

What is the status of Women’s Reservations in India?

• Gujarat – In its 182-member parliament, just 8% of the candidates were women.

• Himachal Pradesh – Where women make up one in every two voters, 67 males have been elected and only one woman.

• National average – The proportion of women in state legislatures nationwide is still at 8%.

• Rankings – According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, India is ranked 144th out of 193 nations in terms of the representation of women in parliament.

Key Issues and Analysis of the Women Reservation Bill 2023

• Reservation policy is contested. Proponents say affirmative action is needed to help women. Recent panchayat research suggests that reservation empowers women and allocates resources.

• Opponents say it would prolong women’s inequality since they wouldn’t compete on merit. They say this tactic distracts from election reform concerns like the criminalization of politics and inner-party democracy.

• The reservation of Parliament seats limits voter choice to women. Thus, some analysts recommend political party reservation and dual-member seats.

• Rotating reserved seats every election may weaken an MP’s motivation to work for his constituency since he may not be re-elected.

• After the Constitution was altered to enable the OBC quota, the 1996 Women’s Reservation Bill report advocated reservation for OBC women. Reservation was also suggested for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils. The Bill does not include either suggestion.