Women’s Representation in Parliament
Source: Indian Express
GS I: Sociology
What is discussed under Women’s Representation in Parliament?
- Key Highlights
- Indian Scenario
Why in News?
A majority of parliamentarians in New Zealand are women for the first time in its history.
Key Highlights
- The liberal Labour Party’s Soraya Peke-Mason took the place of outgoing Speaker Trevor Mallard in the Parliament on Tuesday after she left to serve as ambassador to Ireland.
Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash - As a result of another male lawmaker’s departure, there are now 60 women and 59 males in parliament.
- According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the achievement positions New Zealand among the twelve countries worldwide that can this year claim at least 50% female representation in their parliaments.
- Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and the United Arab Emirates are other countries.
- According to the union, around 26% of lawmakers worldwide are women.
In New Zealand, women have always had a lot of influence. - It was the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1893.
- Jacinda Ardern, the country’s third female prime minister, is one of several prominent positions that women now occupy, including governor-general and chief judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
- In New Zealand, women weren’t allowed to compete in parliament until 1919. In 1933, Elizabeth McCombs was elected as the first MP in New Zealand.
- When mixed-member proportional representation became the new voting method in 1996, female participation increased.
- A South Pacific country called New Zealand has roughly 5 million citizens.
Indian Scenario
- According to data gathered by the IPU, of which India is a member, women make up 14.44% of all Lok Sabha members.
- According to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) most recent data, 10.5% of the Parliament’s total MPs are women as of October 2021.
- With a national average of a pitiful 9%, the situation for women Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in all state assemblies in India is much worse.
- Women’s representation in Lok Sabha has not even risen 10% in the past 75 years of independence.
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