Women in politics and parliament
Women empowerment remains only to be a slogan in today’s age. Countries like Iceland have been promoting gender equality since 2009. Contrarily, a few countries have been falling back for years more than one can count. The events in the initial year were pleasing for the people across the country when Kamala Harris became the Vice President of America. The responses in India were also overwhelming. However, the irony stepped a bar in the Indian air when half of them failed to recognize only one woman politician across the state governments in the country.
If we look over the data across years, we remember the names of the Gandhi descendants, but what about other female politicians? At present, Mamta Banerjee is the only female chief minister in India. Is this not gender inequality? Of course, it is! When we preach about gender inequality, we mention new ways and strategies to improve the situation, but sadly, we are not attentive to the statistics. Even before, the appointment of women politicians in the Indian government stayed for a short while.
In January 2021, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka represented her opinion on women’s participation in politics and parliament. She stated, ‘it could be difficult for any country to prosper without women’s engagement.’ Any society moves forward with a balance in society. She further mentioned, ‘we need to represent women who not only reflect other women in society but who also diversify their identity across cultures, not to forget political situations. Thus, it is the right time to take the procedures forward.’
The largest UN gathering on gender equality considered women’s effective participation and decision-making ability a priority. Further, the theme leads to women’s participation in society, which begins from politics and parliament.
The countries with 50% or more women participation globally are few. Some of them are Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Spain, etc. The dream of equal gender equality is far away, as the first step is yet an illusion in many countries.
When we talk of gender equality, we must not forget about women’s representation in our country, especially in politics. If I ask you how many women politicians you do remember? You may answer with names like Smriti Irani, Jaya Bachhan, Mamta Banerjee, and Indira Gandhi. The stories of women like Rabri Devi go hidden. Not only, gender equality would come with preaching women’s empowerment, but also having information about previous leaders. Perhaps, knowledge is equally important. Thereby, Proposal A justifies my discussion and seems more valid than the other.