Women’s Political Empowerment Day is celebrated on April 24 every year. This day is marked to bring to focus the need for female representation in politics. In a world where there is much of male dominance especially in the political space, female leadership is too few.
It is said that politics is the one space where females have been underrepresented and in the rest of the places, they are no doubt breaking the glass ceiling. Women participation is important not only for representation sake but to further female causes and to bring women’s issues to the forefront.
Women’s Political Empowerment Day is been marked since 1994 to create awareness about the representative rights and duties of the women.
History of Women’s Political Empowerment Day
In India, female population especially in the rural areas is not aware of their rights and duties as a citizen. The reason for women being let out of the political space is financial dependency and inferior social standing.
The Panchayati system of governance operative in India’s rural lands in dominated and controlled by men. However, in 1993 it changed. Not only Panchayati Raj Institution was made a part of the constitution but it also gave 33 percent reservation to women.
This was India’s first step towards involving women in the country’s governance at grass root levels, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment ensured reservation of at least one-third seats for women.
To mark this occasion, the first Women’s Political Empowerment Day on April 24, 1993, was observed.
Objectives of Women’s Political Empowerment Day
Women’s Political Empowerment Day is celebrated on April 21 to create awareness about the political rights and responsibilities of female leaders. It also aims at encouraging solidarity, exchange of best practices and experiences, creating awareness about women’s empowerment in politics and to develop future strategies.
Significance of Women’s Political Empowerment Day
It’s a concerning issue for the country that the women are underrepresented in the political space especially when it comes to women’s causes. This is also true that without effective female leadership, issues such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, and reproductive rights won’t be addressed adequately.
Over the years, there are changes in the political space in terms of women representation that has helped create, develop and promote livelihood options through self-help groups, cooperatives, and micro, small and medium enterprises.
The political space led by women leaders has been changing as they are focusing more on issues such as gender inequality, domestic violence, reproductive wellness, and education. They have been giving attention to these issues more than their male counterparts.
