Hyderabad: Having reservations in elections is not proving helpful for political empowerment of women, a study by a PhD scholar from the political science department of Kakatiya University has found.
The study by Ms Dava Madhavi of KU found that 49.6 per cent of the elected corporators in Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad municipalities, said that they were in politics because their husbands suggested them to be there. Another 11.1 per cent stated that their parents had suggested it while 1.9 per cent of them were asked by their family members to go for it, the report suggests.
Only 7.4 per cent of the elected women corporators said that they were in politics because they were interested in it. The study polled 54 elected women corporators, 18 each from the three municipalities.
However, if not for reservations, women corporators might even not have existed. The study has found that all 54 women corporators taken for study were elected from women and caste-based reserved constituencies.
Asked about the study, Dr K. Laxmi, professor of political science department at Osmania University, said, “Most women who are elected are proxies. Many women leaders are not even able to speak two sentences properly; they take the permission of their husbands before taking decisions. They lack good education as well as political awareness.”
She said, “Politics is still male-dominated and an example of it is that even though the BJP is in power at the Centre with absolute majority, the Women's Reservation Bill has not been introduced in Lok Sabha though it was passed ages ago in Rajya Sabha.”
Dr Laxmi said, “Just having reservations will not help women to be completely empowered. The government should ensure that a compulsory course is developed and introduced in university curricula that would help make the elected women candidates aware of their rights and duties. It will also help to train them in such a way that when they join and take charge of office in a responsible position they will not have to go to their husbands asking for help in taking a decision.”
