Women vote more but lack real political power in India

Source: The post Women vote more but lack real political power in India has been created, based on the article “What factors influence women’s political participation?” published in “The Hindu” on 19th March 2025. Women vote more but lack real political power in India.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2- Polity- voting pattern

Context: Women’s voter turnout in India has increased significantly since 2010, but their overall political engagement remains low. Despite political parties targeting them through welfare schemes, women are still viewed as beneficiaries rather than active agents. Rajeshwari Deshpande’s study analyzes National Election Studies (NES) data to assess whether women’s rising turnout translates into real political power.

For detailed information on Political Empowerment of Women read this article here

The Paradox of Women’s Political Participation in India

1. Influential Leaders but Low Political Engagement: India has produced strong women leaders, yet most women remain politically underrepresented.
2. Delayed Gender Gap Reduction: While many countries saw rising female political participation in the 1990s, India experienced this shift only in the 2010s.
3. Homogenization of Women Voters: Parties treat women as a single bloc, ignoring caste, class, and regional differences.
4. Recognition Without Real Agency: Women voters are seen as welfare beneficiaries rather than independent decision-makers.
5. Complex and Contradictory Participation: Despite high turnout, political agency remains limited. Women’s support for Trump (2016) and India’s 1990s riots shows their engagement is shaped by broader influences.

Factors Influencing Women’s Voter Turnout

1. Increased Voter Registration Efforts – The Election Commission has actively worked to improve women’s voter registration, contributing to higher turnout. However, the proportion of registered female voters remains lower than male voters.
2. Self-Empowerment Hypothesis – Rising literacy rates and employment opportunities have empowered women to vote independently. Yet, women’s workforce participation remains low, challenging this argument.
3. Welfare Schemes and Targeted Policies – Political parties have introduced schemes like Ujjwala, PM Awas Yojana, and Ladli Behna to attract women voters. These programs played a key role in BJP’s 2019 and Madhya Pradesh victories.
4. Impact of Male Migration – Large-scale male migration in economically backward states has led to increased voter turnout among women.
5. Caste, Class, and Regional Identities – Women’s voting behavior is shaped by social identities rather than gender alone. In Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal, regional politics influence their choices more than national trends.

Women’s Support for Different Political Parties

1. Congress’s Gender Advantage – Congress has historically received more female than male votes, except in 2014 when its support declined.
2. BJP’s Narrowing Gender Gap – BJP has historically had fewer female voters, but the gap reduced from over 20% to 7% in 2024 due to targeted outreach.
3. Influence of Welfare Schemes – BJP’s female support base has grown, mainly from welfare beneficiaries.
4. Decline of Left Parties – Left parties once had a gender advantage, but their influence has weakened.
5. Regional Variations – In some non-BJP states, more women than men voted BJP, while in others, women supported opposition parties.

Conclusion

Women’s voter turnout has increased, but their overall political engagement remains weak. Social identities, not gender alone, shape their voting behavior. While BJP has reduced its gender gap, a distinct women’s political constituency has not yet formed in India.

Question for practice:

Examine whether the increasing voter turnout among women in India has translated into real political power and independent political agency.