Gender Gap in Lok Sabha Elections: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Women constitute half of the world's population. However, their participation in various arenas be it entrepreneurship, corporate sector, politics, etc. is far from satisfactory. Gender equality is not only a fundamental right but also an imperative condition for a prosperous, peaceful, happy, and sustainable world. The inclusion of gender equality in the gambit of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is indicative of the glaring inequalities as far as gender parity is concerned. As per World Economic Forum’s Annual Gender Gap Report, 2023 India ranks 127 out of 146 countries on Gender Parity Index. There are several indicators of gender parity. Political participation of women both in the capacity of leaders as well as voters is one of the important parameters of gender parity in any country. The present study relying on secondary data is an attempt to delve into the extent of participation of women in the national parliament of the country. The findings of the present study show a low representation of women in the national parliament of the country vis-à-vis its neighbouring countries. Furthermore, In India, women's representation in the parliament lags as far as Global Averages, Asian Averages, and even the average of the upper chamber in South Asia is concerned. The present study also establishes a glaring gender gap in the voter turnout for the polling even after 75 years of independence. To increase the political participation of women several women-centric and women-empowering programs have been initiated by central and state governments. However, there is still a long way to go before gender parity is achieved both at the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.