Not just for, but by women

Context:

With the recently passed Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which promises for between a futures for women legislators, aims to increase female representation in legislative bodies and also enriches the diversity of perspectives, enhancing decision-making on a wide array of issues.

Historic Milestone in Gender Equality

• Women and Equality: Passage of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Lok Sabha is a historic moment for gender equality and women's empowerment.
• Increasing societal acceptance: The bill received overwhelming support in Parliament, indicating a societal shift towards gender equality.
• Helps to break patriarchy: It allows women to occupy roles traditionally held by men, make crucial decisions, and break patriarchy's chains.

Striving for Increased Women's Representation

• Lesser representation in States: Despite progress, women's representation in state legislatures in India remains low, hindering their influence.
• India’s position globally: India lags behind both developed and developing countries in terms of female representation.
• Reservation and Benefits: Central government is taking steps to ensure 33% reservation for women, aiming to empower women at the grassroots level.

Importance of Women in Legislative Bodies

• Better and Inclusive policy making: Research shows that states with more female legislators are better at enacting family-focused, equitable policies.
• More perspectives to closer outlook: Increased female representation enriches diversity of perspectives, enhancing decision-making.
• Larger women MPs or MLAs must be a new normal: Passage of the bill sends a message that greater female representation will be the new normal in politics.