Bogeymen against Women8217;s Bill

The OBC sympathisers8217; intentions exposed, the Bill should now be enacted without any delay. If OBC men have managed a good strength in Parliament, why this apprehension that OBC women cannot do as well? One should remember that the demand is for reservation on the basis of gender and not caste. The women8217;s movement will ensure that women from all strata of society are represented in the legislatures.

Ironically, Parliament stands testimony to the shocking marginalisation of women who find themselves tied down to a scenario of 61 per cent illiteracy, high maternal and child mortality rate and a steadily falling sex ratio.

Despite a gender Utopia safely enshrined in the Constitution, female representation in Parliament never crossed the 8.1 per cent mark. At the same time, it is a matter of grave concern that the number of female-headed families, now at 36 per cent, shows an increasing trend despite their inadequate work participation and poor bargaining power. This poor status cannot change meaningfully unless women share power on equal terms.

The detractors8217; argument that this move will freeze women8217;s representation at 33 per cent does not hold water because the experience of the panchayati raj institutions where 33 per cent reservation has been introduced shows that the level of representation automatically goes up when women provide qualitative political performance. If this can happen in panchayats, there is no reason why it should fail in higher political institutions, especially when there is absolutely no dearth of qualified and willing women.

There is talk of feminisation of corruption by way of trooping into the legislatures the biwi-beti brigade8217; by male politicians. This despicable practice should be countered by turning the heat against the patriarchal mindset. The priorities of elected women members in the panchayats and the qualitative change they have brought to the system also disprove the argument that reservation will encourage feminisation of corruption8217;.

Instead, it has ensured that grassroots-level women leaders, experienced in politics as well as governance will be available for elections to Parliament and assemblies, thus forcing parties to shun biwi-beti brigades8217; and stop the hunt for female glamour8217; in tinsel world or Chambal valley.

A former chief Justice had an amazing argument. He said a male politician would be deprived of his home8217; constituency and right to equality8217; if the constituency he had been nursing8217; for long, was reserved for women! But what he forgets is that a politician nursing8217; his constituency with the sole intention of becoming a legislator is one big disease of our polity.

Strangely, some self-proclaimed champions of women, who proposed an alternative8217; to the Bill also quite fashionably support this and argue that pushing out candidates on the basis of gender would be an unhealthy practice. They forget the fact that it is definitely not in good democratic tradition for a candidate to perpetually represent a constituency.

A section of women activists feel that women should not accept any quota but make it to Parliament on their own strength. The quota is not for those who have the strength8217; but for the multitudes of under-privileged women. For them reservation is not a concession8217; but a right. Some concerned women have also felt that gender imbalance should be corrected through a policy of affirmative action at the entry point8217;. They should know that the proposed reservation is a small step to clear the road to the entry point to gender equality, which was theoretically open for the last 50 years.

8212; The writer is a newsreader and specialises on gender issues