Published Paper Details:

India's democratic experience of the past six decades has clearly established that good governance must aim at expansion of social opportunities and removal of poverty. According to the author, the participation of women in politics and government is essential to build and sustain democracy. Despite comprising over 50 percent of the world's population, women continue to be under-represented as voters, political leaders and elected officials. In spite of the many benefits of fully engaging women in society, women still face significant barriers to entering government and shaping the decisions and policies that influence their lives. Sometimes the barriers to women's participation are legal. Around the world, for example, women had to advocate and lobby for the right to vote. Besides, women's education and literacy levels are lower than men's. So even if women are not legally prevented from running for office, educational requirements or candidate registration processes may, in practice, exclude the majority of women. There are a number of "special measures" that can be either included in election laws or adopted informally by parties in order to guarantee women's representation in political bodies. Such special measures are adopted in situations where women may be particularly disadvantaged or discouraged from participation. Certain mechanisms may be used as a transitional way to enhance women's representation in situations where it would otherwise be low or non-existent. The paper deals with these subjects in detail that challenges are remain to women's meaningful political participation. Women must be equal partners in the process of democratic development. As activists, elected officials and constituents, their contributions are crucial to building a strong and vibrant society.