WOMEN AND POLITICAL POWER
Extract From the Speech of Dr D Purandeswari
The culture, history and religion of India give women an exalted position. Their participation in the freedom struggle and present day democratic politics is quite visible and well recognized. The country’s Constitution, under the Fundamental Rights, guarantees equality of sexes and confers on women the same rights as those on men. There are portions, wherein it goes even further and provides for special measures to protect women and promote their development. A good deal of social legislation, socio-economic policies and statutory measures has sought to strengthen and implement these objectives. As a result women are increasingly visible today in all spheres life. Despite this, the participation of common women in politics or of women playing a role in decision making by occupying seats of political power is very meagre and peripheral. The number, extent, nature and levels of women participants in politics and playing politically active roles are far from being satisfactory. While substantial gains have been made by the women’s movement over the decades in India, this has not been adequately reflected in the representation of women in position of power. Consequently, women and poorly represented in Parliament, State Legislature and other decision making bodies. Women are moving in the direction of near equal participation in only a handful of countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. In these societies women have begun to seriously alter the very nature of politics, making enduring, and substantial gains in every field. However, in all other countries, including the supposedly advanced democracies of western Europe and North America, where women exercise certain freedoms and have acquired the wherewithal for economic independence, female presence in legislatures remains small and relatively insignificant. In India, the participation of women in politics has actually declined since the days of freedom movement, both in quantity and quality. Government and politics are more important factors in the economic, social, and power structures in India than in most other countries with stronger civil societies, and so, the effect of women’s marginalization in politics is even more detrimental here. A deeper analysis of the socio-economic and cultural factors, more particularly the family position and the power relations within the family, and of factors that prevent the women from gaining access to political information and education etc., are totally lacking. Equally conspicuous by its absence is the analysis of any mobilization and organization of women, their participation in activity/organizations during the inter-election period. In the absence of such a participation and exposure to other than familial sources and activities, women cannot be expected to have developed an independent political consciousness.
The most potent instrument for the empowerment of women is through education – an infallible instrument. True we have made some worthwhile improvement in universalizing the elementary education by launching innovative schemes such as Mid-day meal scheme, Mahila Samakhya and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, but the dropout rates among girl children is still a matter of concern. We have to attain zero-drop out rate and ensure full participation from both male and female child. But more than that, we must succeed in empowering women in vocational streams for this alone will ensure their empowerment in the truest sense of the term by ensuring economic independence and encourage them in their fight against gender inequality. More than a century back, the Indian saint-patriot Swami Vivekananda was asked as to what should be done to improve the position of women in our Society; the great Swami quipped: “give them education, and then they will themselves decide what reforms are necessary for them”. Education, in my perception, has no alternative in fostering dignity, self-sufficiency and qualities of leadership, the attributes that form the basics of women empowerment. I would like to say that the UN Declaration of Women’s Rights 1967 postulated the principle of equality of men and women and advocated its universal recognition in law by all countries as an unavoidable necessity. The UN was convinced that the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of universal peace require the maximum participation of women as well as men in all fields. It was considered that countries had to assure equal rights to women as those of men. Any discrimination against equal rights of women would amount to injustice done to half of humanity and would be incompatible with human dignity, welfare of family and society. Prevention of the participation of women on equal terms with men in political, social, economic and cultural life of their countries was thought to be a great obstacle to the full development of the potentialities of women in the service of their countries and of humanity. The universal Declaration of Human Rights therefore asserted the principle of non-discrimination and proclaimed that all. Human beings were born free and equal in dignity and rights. Our Government was a party to this Declaration of Women Rights, 1967 and is thus committed to the ideal of eradication of gender discrimination in all its shapes and forms. We have therefore to march in rapid strides towards this universally committed goal.
I would like to emphasize that the problem and issues of women empowerment is no doubt a challenging one but there is no cause for disappointment even in the past there had been many outstanding women leaders and workers in the Congress party at all levels during freedom movement than there are at present in all the political parties put together. The representation of the women and the problems relating to thereto is no doubt a challenging one, but we should not lose heart. It is difficult for women to establish a foothold without patronage from powerful men in the party – that too through close personal relations, as wives, daughters and sisters. This is indeed a matter for serious concern because the level of political participation among women in any society acts as a reliable barometer of the health of its democracy. We must take inspiration from the fact that during the freedom movement the cause of women empowerment got support from our eminent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore, Eswar Chand Vidya Sagar all of whom worked relentlessly for the women in this country. And today, we have got the political leadership of Soniaji who is solely responsible for bringing into a common fold likeminded political parties and constitute what is known as UPA Government. The idealism of Madam Gandhi teaches us that one could render effective service to the nation and for that it is not necessary to hold any position of importance in the Government. Though singularly credited for the Congress victory in last elections Soniaji declined the offer of the Prime Minister’s post because of her inner conscious which told her that she need not join the Government. Her life and teachings are all a matter of pride for our women hood and if we follow our leadership with sincerity of purpose there is no doubt that victory would be ours at the end!
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