Women’s Reservation Bill
Women’s Reservation Bill
Introduction
The status of women in Indian society is deplorable. Women across urban and rural cities are subjected to harassment. Heinous crimes such as rape are rampant in towns and cities across India.
The Women’s Reservation Bill which is the 108th Amendment to the Constitution is imperative for ensuring female emancipation in India. It seeks to provide 33% reservation for women in the lower house of the parliament and the state legislature. This is crucial for ensuring that women leaders come into power and help to ward off evils like dowry and heinous crimes such as rape and molestation.
India needs women leaders who can change the way society perceives a woman. Women friendly legislations need to be passed so that those who have the power to initiate change do so because they are sensitive to the needs of a woman.
Viewpoint
• If this historic bill is passed, it will result in gender equality for women with regard to political representation. Increased political participation and leadership of ladies will prevent abuse and discrimination towards women.
• Gender inequality in almost every facet of existence is a burden that all Indian women face. In offices, women have to work twice as hard to prove themselves. Antiquated laws prevent women from seeking legal action against erring in-laws and abusive spouses leading to higher incidences of death due to domestic violence. Rape and eve-teasing are crimes that are being committed on a daily basis.
If women leaders gain a chance to become elected politicians, they will have the ability to change more laws so that women are not abused or harmed either mentally or physically.
• Those against the bill are arguing that its passage will diminish the chances of other sections of the population from competing for seats and attaining political posts. But it should be remembered that women have faced injustices since the day India gained independence. In current times, there has been a rise in the incidences of rape and molestation of women. National bodies formed for the protection of women’s rights are not able to do much for those in need of help.
It is critical that women politicians be given the privilege of reserved seats so that they can take action to remedy the situation.
• It should be noted that the bill stipulates that reservation will remain in force for 15 years so that women leaders are able to establish themselves and gain complete participation in the political and legislative process by then. 15 years is long enough to enable women leaders to come to the fore and give India’s mothers, daughters and sisters a brighter future.
Conclusion
The Women’s Reservation Bill is an idea whose time has come. It is imperative that the political leaders pass this bill so that they are able to bring about a vast improvement in the status and position of women in Indian society.
Our law makers and legislators need to be proactive and ensure that this bill becomes a law. It will give women from different castes, classes and sections of society a chance to gain power and use it for the betterment of Indian society. It is vital that this bill does not become just a piece of paper.
It needs to become a law which is implemented so that the safety, security and welfare of women in India is assured.
Discussion
- RE: Women’s Reservation Bill -Deepa Kaushik (05/03/14)
- Women reservation bill is a good topic to debate on. In today’s world where women fight for their equality, the reservation word remains a query. Equality has nothing to do with the reservation. Reservation is always given for the backward sects of the society. If we fight for the reservation, then there should not be voice rising out for equality.
Women’s reservation bill is a very delicate issue with a lot of pressure to get this effective. The bill calls up for creating opportunities for the women and providing them with the opportunity to come out of the house-hold opportunities and participate in the national affairs as well. Women encouraged country is definitely a developed one, as this will increase the literacy rate of the nation and also rise the average output in terms of revenue for the country.
Men in India mostly remain confined to a particular type of works and duties only, whereas women participate both in house-hold and outside works. She is more aware of the day-to-day concerns and can come up with better plans of implementation. Still, being in a men dominated society, it becomes very difficult to come out and flair up the plans and innovative ideas. Women reservation bill will definitely be welcomed especially in today’s scenario, where we still look forward to women coming out of their houses.
- Women’s Reservation Bill -Farhana Afreen (04/03/14)
Women's Reservation Bill
The Women's Reservation Bill has been a political issue for nearly a decade now. It has always been followed by never ending debates in Parliament and outside. Its supporters say the Bill is necessary for dynamic political participation of women. Those against the bill dispute that reservation would only help women of superior groups achieve political power, infuriating the quandary of the underprivileged women.
The bill to reserve 33.3 percent seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women was initiated first by the H D Deve Gowda-led United Front government. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996. Though it has been bought up in Parliament several times since then, the Bill could not be passed because of lack of political agreement.
The bill includes reservation for women at every section of legislative decision-making, starting with the Lok Sabha, down to state and local legislatures. In short, one-third of the total available seats would be reserved for women in national, state, or local governments. The existing reservations for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes would also ensure one-third of such SC and ST candidates must be women.
The supporters are of the view that it would ensure gender equality in Parliament, for the empowerment of women. Since a larger number of women are underprivileged in India, this bill would ensure increased political involvement of women will help them fight the abuse, discrimination, and inequality they endure.
Many political parties have opposed it because they apprehend that many of the male leaders would not get a chance to fight elections if 33.3 percent seats are reserved for women. They are of the view that reservation would only help women of the superior groups to gain seats, which would only aggravate discrimination to the deprived and backward groups.
Right from the very beginning, Lalu Prasad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party have strongly the Bill opposed. Both parties are opposed to the bill in its present form and ask for a quota within quota for women from backward classes. They argue that the bill would contradict sufficient representation to other sections of society. Lalu is in support of 10 to 15 percent reservation for women. They strongly stated that this would only make situations worse for women of the already deprived sections like the case of Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and other religious minorities which cannot be overlooked. Reservation within reservation is his demand.
Mulayam is in support of making it obligatory for political parties to give 10 percent of election tickets to women. He argues that if insufficiency of representation is the matter, why not reservation for Muslim women? If 33.3 per cent reservation for women is added to the previously offered 22.5 percent for scheduled castes and tribes, more than 55 per cent of seats in Parliament would be reserved. This would by no means be fair to other sections of the country.
The opposition of the bill says that by asking for reservation women are asking for an unequal status for themselves. The supporters have disputed that terms of reservation for women is only for 15 years and that the idea of reservation is to generate an equal platform so that women can elevate their rights in politics and society.
The Upper House Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 9 Mar 2010. As of February 2014, the Lower House Lok Sabha has not yet voted on the bill. If the Lok Sabha were to consent the bill, it would then have to be passed by half of India's state legislatures and signed by the President.
