India Passes Historic Bill Reserving One – Third of Seats for Women in Parliament

India’s parliament passed a landmark bill on the 21st September reserving one-third of seats in the lower house and state assemblies for women. This victory for gender equality in politics comes after decades of campaigning by rights groups. A similar bill was first introduced in September 1996, with nearly every successive Indian government trying, but failing, to pass it into law after facing staunch opposition from conservative heartland parties. 27 years have been lost, however under Modi’s government it received overwhelming support in both houses of Parliament, marking a significant milestone.

Despite nearly half of registered voters being women, only 15% of lawmakers in parliament and 10% in state assemblies are female. Implementation depends on the redrawing of electoral constituencies after the decennial census, which means it may take years to come into full effect. With this reserve of one-third of women in parliament, India will join the list of big democracies such as France, America and Germany.