Page 152 - Constitution

70 Years of Indian Years of Indian

Constitution
Constitution
Women's Reservation

Bill-time to act now

Representative democracy presupposes fair
representation of all sections of the population in
A 2008 World Bank Working Paper
the popular assembly. In many countries across
argued, “The main determinant of
the world the struggle to get even voting rights for
woman in general elections had been a long and
differences in across countries
torturous journey and has been fraught with struggle
are differences in economic
and conflict (often violent) for over several centuries
now.Even in western democracies women had to
institutions. To solve the problem
organise themselves into groups and tussle for long
of development will entail reforming
periods of time just so that they can be guaranteed
these institutions.” Most people
voting rights. Such an exercise largely took the
shape of a women's movement subsumed under
will agree, even market-oriented
Dr TK Viswanathan feminism with the aim of ending global structures
economists. Markets don’t work in
of oppression and hierarchies of power to advance
the welfare of women. Struggles all over the world
isolation, but in a social and legal
have yielded positive results, with women in most
context that sets the infrastructure.
countries being allowed to vote and participate in
electoral politics.

152 70 Years of Indian Constitution