India lags behind 150 countries in representation of women in Lok Sabha

According to IPU-Parline, a global database on national parliaments ranks India below 150 countries based on number of women MPs

Published on: Jun 6, 2024, 16:32:08 IST

By HT News Desk

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India fared worse than 150 countries in the representation of women in parliament, according to data from IPU-Parline, a global database on national parliaments.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 74 women MPs were elected, forming 13.6 per cent of the total number of members in parliament.

According to the Indian Express, 14 parties have women elected as MPs, with BJP leading the list with 31 women MPs. They are followed by Congress with 13 women MPs and TMC with 11 women MPs.

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) -Parline, a free resource on national parliaments, published a ranking in May 2024, that shows the representation of women in parliaments. In 2019, 14.7 per cent of MPs were women, taking India's ranking in the global index to 145.

The number of women MPs in 2019, were the highest till date in India. As of May 2024, the number of women MPs has dropped, leading India's ranking to fall to 150.

India falls short of the global average of 26.5 per cent as well as the South and Central Asian average of 19 per cent women MPs.

India is outranked by countries like the UAE, South Africa, USA and the UK. Rwanda, with women MPs comprising 61.3 per cent of parliament, ranks highest on the index. India's neighbours in Asia also fare better with Pakistan ranking at 116, China at 89 and Nepal at 55.

In 2023, India passed the Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), which will provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Lok Sabha and assemblies. The bill will be enacted by 2029 at least due to delimitation and census requirements.

The quota is a step towards ensuring better participation of women in parliament, according to Susan Ferguson, UN Women's India representative. The country with the highest number of women MPs, Rwanda, also has a 30 per cent reservation for women in elected positions.

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