Gender Inequality and Women’s Political Representation in India

Anjuma Ahmed Nargis

doi:10.71097/IJAIDR.v16.i2.2162

Gender Inequality and Women’s Political Representation in India

Author(s)	Anjuma Ahmed Nargis
Country	India
Abstract	Women’s political representation is a fundamental indicator of democratic equality and inclusive governance. Constitutional equality and universal adult franchise were brought to India at independence, but women have been grossly underrepresented in legislative bodies, including Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. This study analyzes how far women have come in terms of political representation in India and the pattern of such representation, as well as understanding the institutional factors that have contributed to the persistence of gender disparities. The study is of a descriptive and analytical nature, and secondary data is collected from the Election Commission of India, parliamentary records, constitutional documents, PRS Legislative Research, and scholarly works. The research highlights the descriptive and substantive representation of women, gender quotas, women's participation in the Lok Sabha, participation in local government, participation in political-party recruitment, and the connection between descriptive and substantive representation. The results of this research show that the proportion of female representation has been growing gradually but is still significantly less than gender parity. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, women comprised about 13.6% of the elected representatives, with 74 women elected, while they made up only about 9.5% of the candidates who contested. On the other hand, there has been a significant increase in the representation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies through constitutional provisions. However, numerical inclusion does not guarantee political autonomy or meaningful participation. The study asserts that patriarchal norms, political-party gatekeeping, inequality of resources, social hierarchy, and institutional aspects jointly create gender inequality in political representation in India. Increased representation, therefore, is not sufficient to ensure meaningful political equality and must be accompanied by institutional changes to ensure that women have effective and independent political power.
Keywords	Gender inequality; women's political representation; political parties; gender quotas; political participation
Published In	Volume 16, Issue 2, July-December 2025
Published On	2025-11-07
DOI	https://doi.org/10.71097/IJAIDR.v16.i2.2162

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Gender Inequality and Women’s Political Representation in India

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