{"id":358061,"date":"2026-03-13T19:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=358061"},"modified":"2026-03-13T19:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:03:12","slug":"political-empowerment-of-women-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/political-empowerment-of-women-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Political Empowerment of Women- Significance and Challenges- Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Political<\/p>\n

Today Indian women have moved beyond mere symbolic roles to become powerful influences in shaping electoral results. This has been possible with the support of women-centered policies like Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana<\/span>, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao<\/span>, and Jan Dhan Yojana<\/span> empowering them as decision-makers and changemakers.
\nWhile the turnout of women voters has increased over the years, campaign participation still shows a clear gender gap. The disparity in Parliamentary representation also remains wide, reflecting limited candidature, party nominations, and constraints on political autonomy.
\nIn this article we will look at the political empowerment journey of women in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Table of Content<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What has been the status of political representation of Women in India?<\/a>
\nWhy is there a need for greater political empowerment of Women in India?<\/a>
\nWhat are the reasons behind low political representation of women in India?<\/a>
\nWhat measures have been undertaken for political empowerment of Women and increasing their participation?<\/a>
\nWhat Should be the Way Forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What has been the status of political representation of Women in India?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Representation of Women in Parliament over the Years:<\/strong>\n
      \n
    1. Women made up just 4.41%<\/span> of the strength of the Lower House<\/span> in 1952<\/span>. The number increased to more than 6% in the Lok Sabha<\/span> held a decade later.<\/li>\n
    2. However, the number dipped to below 4% in 1971,<\/span> <\/span>ironically, with Indira Gandhi<\/span>, India\u2019s first and only woman Prime Minister<\/span>, at the helm.<\/li>\n
    3. There has been a slow, but steady rise in women\u2019s representation (with a few exceptions). The women representation crossed the 10% mark in 2009<\/span> and peaked at 14.36%<\/span> in 2019.<\/li>\n
    4. Of the 74 women MPs elected in 2024, 43 are first time MPs<\/span>. Women MPs have an average age of 50 years and are younger as compared to the overall age of the House, which is 56 years. These women MPs are as educated as their male counterparts, with 78% completing under graduation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"Women
      Source- The Indian Express<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      2. State Legislative assembly representation: <\/strong>The representation of women in State Legislative Assemblies has been low. The highest is in Chhattisgarh<\/span> (14.4%<\/span>) followed by West Bengal<\/span> (13.7%<\/span>) and Jharkhand<\/span> (12.4%<\/span>).<\/p>\n

      \"Women
      Source- PIB. Percentage of Women Representatives in State Legislative Assemblies as on December 31, 2021. The proportion for Jammu and Kashmir\/Ladakh is based on last elections held in 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      3. Comparison with Global Standards:<\/strong><\/p>\n