WOMEN IN

GOVERNMENT

By: Anumita Bajpai

Structure:
Composed of 29 states and 7 union territories
Union, State and Local government

3 Branches
Legislative
Lok Sabha
Raj Sabha

Judicial
Supreme Courts, High Courts & District Courts

Executive
Prime Minister
President

Legislative:
Raj Sabha: (Upper House) 245 seats
Members selected by President
Elected by State legislatures

Lok Sabha: (Lower House) 545 seats

Elected by the people from all states
Seats given by population

Executive Branch:
Prime Minister: Narendra Modi
Chief of government, Chief advisor to president
Leader of executive branch, head of council of
ministers
Leader of the majority party
APPOINTED by the president

President: Pranab Mukherji

All constitutional powers

Appointments of cabinet and judiciary members
Commander in chief of Armed forces
RELIES on prime minister for aid and advice

Minorities in Parliament
Women in India: 49.5 %
Rajya Sabha: (12%)
31 women

Lok Sabha:
66 women (12%)
131 scheduled castes

Sushma Swaraj, Lok

Sabha

Pratibha Patil
First woman President of India
(12th president)

Started at the age of 27, elected to Rajya

Sabha, then to Lok Sabha and eventually
became the first woman governor of
Rajasthan (24th governor).
Granted 35 death sentences during
presidency (more than any other president)

Indira Gandhi
The only woman to be prime
minister. Served as the 4th
prime minister and held the
position the longest.
Integral in the foundation and
formation of the Indian
Congress Party.
Voted the greatest prime
minister and the Woman of
the millennium
Assassinated in 1984

Sonia Gandhi
Italian Born, married Rajiv
Gandhi (son of Indira Gandhi)
President of the Indian
Congress Party after
assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Chairperson of the United
Progressive Alliance of Lok
Sabha since 2004

Governmental
Participation of
Women

Panchayati Raj

Local Governments:
South Asian government system:
Pakistan, Bangladesh & India

Theory: Elder members of the

community settle disputes among
villagers in a calm and objective
demeanor.
Some communities have also seen
abuse of power in order to uphold
traditions over modernity. (Khap
Panchanyat)

Women Involvement:
The Union Cabinet of India approved
50% reservation for women in PRIs
(Panchayati Raj Institutions)
2009: Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,
Uttarakhand and Himmanchal Pradesh
2011: Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh,
Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharastra, Orissa,
Rajasthan and Tripura

Women Involvement
Cont.
Women Involvement has led to better
education, better sanitation and has
led to a redefining of leadership.
Problems that were previously ignored
by the patriarchy are being addressed:
health, malnutrition, domestic violence
and dowry abuse.