India’s first Lok Sabha had 23 women. But even after 60 years of Independence, there are only 59 women in the Lok Sabha. It would be a shame to say that it delivered as much as it did with all the reservations. India ranks 20th from the bottom in terms of representation of women in Parliament. This despite holding posts of president and prime minister as well as chief ministers of various states.
The problem goes beyond India. Even today, only 17 per cent of representatives in the US government are women.
India has an almost 50 per cent female population today. So, Why aren’t more women raising their voice on political opinions? Are women not environmentally conscious? Is there a lack of economic, social, historical and scientific awareness? Or do women simply dislike political matters and topics?
Good democracy can be implemented by conscious people and any women’s issue is a political issue. It should be solved politically. Unfortunately, due to tens of thousands of years of slavery and gender discrimination, women’s voices, experiences, and contributions are overlooked or undervalued, discouraging them from taking a political stand.
The Kerala Pravasi Association is working for to bring this change through their ‘Kerala Sree’ program that will tap into the potential of Indian women and bring more opportunity for economic growth and development. The program plans to implement necessary schemes to make women self-sufficient.