In India, the journey towards gender equality and women’s empowerment has seen significant strides, albeit with ongoing challenges. Civil society groups have emerged as pivotal agents of change in this pursuit, advocating for women’s effective and meaningful participation and representation in state legislatures. These organizations play a multifaceted role, from raising awareness about gender disparities to lobbying for policy reforms and providing crucial support structures for aspiring female leaders. Through grassroots mobilization, capacity-building initiatives, and strategic alliances, civil society groups have helped amplify the voices of women in politics, paving the way for greater inclusivity and diversity within India’s democratic framework. This essay delves into the invaluable contributions of civil society groups towards advancing women’s representation in state legislatures, exploring their impact on legislative agendas, political culture, and societal perceptions of gender roles.
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Introduction
Civil society organisation is any non profit, voluntary citizen group which is organised on a local or national level. Its contribution in recent times is best reflected in Nagaland where Hekani Jakalu became the first woman legislator which happened largely due the ground movement conducted by civil society groups.
Body:
The contribution of civil society groups for women’s effective and meaningful participation and representation in state legislatures in India is as follows:-
- Advocacy for legislative reforms by CSO: Several advocacy campaigns have been organised in order to support the implementation of the women reservation bill which seeks to provide 33% reservation in both the parliament and state legislature.Example – “ Bharat Jagruthi” led by K Kavitha organisation and formation of National alliance for women reservation bill.
- Enhancing awareness: Putting collaborative efforts for supporting aspiring women leaders for their political journey Example- Indian school of democracy,stree shakti and netri collaborated for the “She leads” programme
- Capacity building and Training of women:-NGO play a significant role in making women equipped with necessary skills and knowledge to contest elections. Example- The National foundation for India foster’s women leadership by offering awards, creating opportunities and facilitating dialogue among various stakeholders.
- Research and data collection: Various advocacy groups with an agenda of women empowerment and identifying gaps are involved in collecting data primarily on women’s political participation and their representation. Example – Centre for school research(cso)
Case study- According to a 2020 study done by The Association of Democratic reforms(ADR) and National election watch(NEW) out of 50 thousand candidates who were contesting central and state election, the total involvement of women candidates were less than 10%
- Grass root mobilisation:Initiatives taken to empower marginalised sections of women in the society enabling them to enter local governance roles.Example – Self employed women association (SEWA) and Mahila Samakhya.
Challenges:-
- Underrepresentation
- Unequal opportunities such as lower salaries and lesser access to resources.
- Stereotyping women as a soft minister like social welfare, culture etc
- Patriarchy
- Violence and harassment both physical and online
- Illiteracy
Conclusion:
However, civil society group efforts at some extent is turning out to be a milestone in providing strong backing for women’s representation and participation in state legislature.
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