Women Reservation Bill: A Gender Justice Perspective
Anushka Agarwal, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore
ABSTRACT
In the contemporary period, the underrepresentation of females in legislative assemblies has proved to be a major issue hindering the concept of gender justice. The major cause of underrepresentation is the exclusion of females from decision-making processes and the gender imbalance that continues to prevail. The study aims to assess the efficiency of the Women's Reservation Bill as a milestone in realizing gender justice. While the constitutional campaign for equality and elimination of discrimination continues, the proportion of females remains insignificant in the legislatures. There lies a huge gap between the concept of equality and the gender justice. The Bill proposes to address the structural hurdles which have traditionally excluded women from the legislatures in general, as opposed to generic representation. The bill, in terms of gender justice, proposes to address the power imbalance in political structures as well as representation. Using an analytical approach, this paper analyses the Women’s Reservation Bill in the context of achieving true gender equity. The research highlights an attempt to understand the judicial framework and the social implications of this legislation and how women are faced with barriers while seeking involvement in politics. This approach allows assessment of the bill’s potential to address structural inequalities and promote substantive gender equality. It allows for creating a space for women and shatters patriarchal power structures while promoting inclusive governance. It is revealed from the research that Women's Reservation Bill is a substantial advancement for bringing about gender justice because it not only enhances Women's participation at legislature level but shatters patriarchal politics. The study finds that even though the Women Reservation Bill increases women’s representation and challenges patriarchal structures, its effectiveness is unpredictable on addressing social and economic inequalities, ensuring that reserved seats provide women with genuine political influence and meaningful participation across diverse backgrounds.
Keywords: Gender Justice, Inclusive Governance, Political Representation, Structural Inequality, Women Reservation Bill.
