Women's Representation in Indian Legislatures: Persistent Underrepresentation Despite Gradual Growth

Indian Express - Explained · 19 Apr 2026 · 2 min read
Prelims · Polity Mains · GS2 Governance High relevance

The Lok Sabha defeated a constitutional amendment Bill to reserve 33% seats for women, highlighting the persistent underrepresentation of women in Indian legislatures, with current figures at 13.6% in Lok Sabha and 16% in Rajya Sabha.

Key points

Women's Reservation Bill was defeated in Lok Sabha, which sought to reserve 33% seats for women in both Lok Sabha and state assemblies, reflecting ongoing political resistance to gender parity in legislatures.

Lok Sabha representation of women has never exceeded 15%, with the current 18th Lok Sabha having 13.6% women MPs (75 out of 543), a slight drop from the previous Lok Sabha's 14.36%.

Rajya Sabha fares slightly better with 16% women MPs (39 out of 245), though it is not directly elected, indicating systemic barriers in direct electoral processes for women.

Party-wise analysis reveals only Trinamool Congress exceeds the 33% mark in Lok Sabha (39.3%), while major parties like BJP (12.9%) and Congress (14.3%) lag behind, showing lack of internal party commitment to gender representation.

State assemblies perform worse, with only Chhattisgarh crossing 15% (21.1%), while 19 assemblies have less than 10% women MLAs, highlighting deep-rooted patriarchal norms in state politics.

Global ranking of India is 147 out of 190 countries in women's representation in lower houses, underscoring the gap between India's democratic aspirations and ground realities.

[GS2-Governance] The low representation of women in legislatures reflects systemic governance failures in ensuring inclusive political participation, a key aspect of democratic governance.

[GS1-Society] Patriarchal societal structures and power dynamics, as noted by sociologist Satish Deshpande, are primary barriers to women's political empowerment, linking to broader gender inequality issues.

Way Forward: Mandatory party quotas for women candidates, awareness campaigns to challenge patriarchal norms, and electoral reforms like proportional representation could accelerate gender parity in Indian politics.

Key terms

Women's Reservation Bill

A proposed constitutional amendment to reserve 33% seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It aims to address historical underrepresentation of women in Indian politics, but faces political resistance due to patriarchal norms and vested interests.

Lok Sabha

The lower house of India's Parliament, directly elected by the people. Its composition reflects democratic representation, making the low percentage of women MPs (13.6%) a critical governance issue for inclusive development.

Rajya Sabha

The upper house of Parliament, indirectly elected by state legislatures. While it has higher women representation (16%) than Lok Sabha, its non-direct election process raises questions about true democratic representation of women.

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

A Geneva-based global organization tracking parliamentary data worldwide. Its ranking of India at 147 in women's representation provides comparative perspective on India's democratic deficits in gender inclusion.