Women's Reservation in India
106th Amendment Act — That reserves 1/3rd of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women.
This law comes in the 30th anniversary of the constitutional reforms that reserved one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities for women.
73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments created panchayats and municipalities .
It mandated a minimum of one-third of seats and office to be reserved for women.
It also mandated reservation for SC, ST and OBC based on their percentage in population.
73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments
Landmark pieces of legislation that have transformed local governance in India.
Passed in 1992.
Established Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) as institutions of self-government, with elected representatives and a wide range of powers and functions.
The 73rd Amendment deals with PRIs, which are three-tier institutions at the village, block, and district levels.
The 74th Amendment deals with ULBs, such as municipal corporations, municipal councils, and nagar panchayats.
Key features
PRIs and ULBs has constitutional status, which means that they are not at the mercy of state governments.
PRIs and ULBs have elected representatives, which ensures that they are accountable to the people they serve.
PRIs and ULBs have a wide range of powers and functions, including planning and development, education, health, and sanitation.
The amendments have mandated reservation for women and SC and STs in PRIs and ULBs.
Impact of Reservations
One survey conducted in 2004 in West Bengal and Rajasthan found that women leaders invest more in public goods and ensure increased women’s participation in panchayat meetings.
A more expansive study in 2011 reaffirmed, the finding that women-led panchayats made higher investments in public services like drinking water, education, and roads.
A 2010 paper by Pranab Bardhan and others found that women’s reservations worsened the targeting of welfare programmes for SC/ST households and provided no improvement for female-headed households.
Impact of Reservations
In 2008 paper by Vijayendra Rao and Radu Ban found that women leaders perform no differently than their male counterparts in south India.
A 2020 paper by Alexander Lee and Varun Karekurve-Ramachandra examining reservations in Delhi found that constituencies reserved for women are less likely to elect OBC women and more likely to elect upper-caste women.
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