Performing Representation: Women Members in the Indian Parliament

413 Pages·2019·4.343 MB·English

by  Shirin M. Rai, Carole Spary

Performing Representation
‘Th is complete guide to women’s presence and performance in India’s
Parliament is a must read for anyone interested in gender and politics.
Fascinating stories and critical analysis illuminate the multiple challenges
women face in every dimension of their parliamentary politics/life.’
Niraja Gopal Jayal, Professor, Centre for the Study of Law
and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
‘India—the most populous democracy in the world—has just 64 women
in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament), ranking 149th worldwide
in this regard. Why? Th is terrifi c new study by Shirin M. Rai and Carole
Spary provides fresh insights into issues of representation and representa-
tiveness, gender and power, and the role of women in parliament—both
within India and more broadly. Drawing upon qualitative and quantita-
tive evidence, this book provides an essential contribution towards the
literature on women in politics.’
Pippa Norris, Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University, US
Performing Representation
Women Members in the
Indian Parliament
Shirin M. Rai
Carole Spary
1
1

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ISBN-13 (print edition): 978-0-19-948905-3
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Endorsement
Performing Representation: Women Members in
the Indian Parliament
Shirin M. Rai and Carole Spary
Print publication date: 2019
Print ISBN-13: 9780199489053
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: March 2019
DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780199489053.001.0001
(p.ii) Endorsement
Shirin M. Rai
Carole Spary
‘This complete guide to women’s presence and performance in India’s
Parliament is a must read for anyone interested in gender and politics.
Fascinating stories and critical analysis illuminate the multiple challenges
women face in every dimension of their parliamentary politics/life.’
Niraja Gopal Jayal, Professor, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
‘India—the most populous democracy in the world—has just 64 women in
the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament), ranking 149th worldwide in
this regard. Why? This terrific new study by Shirin M. Rai and Carole
Spary provides fresh insights into issues of representation and
representativeness, gender and power, and the role of women in
parliament—both within India and more broadly. Drawing upon qualitative
and quantitative evidence, this book provides an essential contribution
towards the literature on women in politics.’
Pippa Norris, Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University, US
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Tables and Figures
Tables
I.1 Turnout in Lok Sabha Elections: 1952–2004 2
I.2 Politics and Performance Framework 21
3.1 Success Rates of Candidates Contesting Seats in Lok Sabha
Elections (1980–2014), by Selected Party Categories and
Combined 89
3.2 Ratio of State to National Party Candidates in Lok Sabha
Elections, by Sex 96
3.3 Sole-Woman and Multi-Women Candidate Contests in
Th ree Lok Sabha Elections (2004–14) 100
4.1 Presence of SC-Reserved Women MPs in 15th Lok Sabha,
by Party 128
4.2 Lok Sabha Women MPs from North East since
Independence 134
4.3 Educational Qualifi cations of Lok Sabha MPs from
7th–12th and 14th–16th Lok Sabhas (Percentage of
Total MPs) 135
4.4 Self-Identifi ed Occupational Backgrounds of Lok Sabha
MPs from the 7th to 16th Lok Sabhas (Percentage) 137
4.5 Women MPs Who Have Served Five or More Terms in
the Lok Sabha 145
4.6 Women MPs Who Have Served Four or More Terms in
the Rajya Sabha 146
viii Tables and Figures
4.7 Top 10 Current Women MPs Based on the Number
of Twitter Followers 160
4A.1 Proportion of MPs across General and Reserved Seats in
the 10th to 16th Lok Sabhas 167
5.1 Gender-Disaggregated Analysis of MP Participation in
the14th Lok Sabha 173
5.2 Gender-Disaggregated Analysis of MP Participation in
the 15th Lok Sabha 174
5.3 Top 10 Women MPs by Participation in Debates (14th
Lok Sabha) 175
5.4 Top 10 Women MPs by Participation in Debates (15th
Lok Sabha) 176
5.5 Top 10 Women MPs by Number of Questions Asked
(14th Lok Sabha) 177
5.6 Participation of Women and Men in Selected
Parliamentary Debates 190
6.1 Timetable of Events in the CEW’s Establishment 216
6.2 Presence of Women MPs on Financial Committees
and Selected DRSCs, 13th–16th Lok Sabhas 220
6.3 Matters Considered by the CEW (13th–15th Lok Sabhas) 226
6.4 Summary of ‘Analysis of Action Taken by Government’
by the CEW 232
7.1 List of Elected Representatives Disqualifi ed after
Conviction by a Court of Law 248
7.2 Women MPs: Criminal Records and Financial Assets 250
7.3 Top 10 Highest Spending States and Union Territories
(2015–16) 262
7.4 Lowest Spending States and Union Territories (2015–16) 263
7.5 MPLADS Individual High Spenders (2015–16) 265
9.1 Women Incumbents Re-contesting and Re-elected:
14th to 15th Lok Sabha (2009) and 15th to 16th
Lok Sabha (2014) 308
Tables and Figures ix
Figures
I.1 Parliament House, Taken from Raisina Road 3
I.2 Women as a Percentage of Rajya Sabha MPs (1952–2016) 10
1.1 India Gate, New Delhi 32
1.2 Bharatmata by Abanindranath Tagore 39
1.3 Outer Corridor, Indian Parliament 45
1.4 Th e Ladies’ Room in Lok Sabha 53
2.1 Women’s Groups Campaigning for the WRB, Delhi,
December 2013 76
3.1a Women in Lok Sabha Elections 1957–2014 82
3.1b Women in Lok Sabha Elections 1957–2014 83
3.2 Women Candidates in Lok Sabha Elections as a
Percentage of Total Candidates, by Party (INC and BJP),
1980–2014 93
3.3 Nomination of Women Candidates (Percentage of
Total Party Candidates) by Selected Parties in
Lok Sabha Elections since 1980 94 and 95
3.4 A TMC Candidate Campaigning in South Delhi in
2014 (top) and the Candidate’s Election Leafl et (bottom) 113
3.5 Election Campaign Resources and Publicity for a BJP
Candidate in South Delhi in 2014 114
3.6 AAP Candidate Campaigning in Mumbai, 2014 115
3.7 Forecasting Growth of Women MPs in the Lok Sabha
in the Absence of Quotas 120
4.1 Proportion of MPs Elected from SC-Reserved Lok Sabha
Constituencies, 10th–16th Lok Sabha 126
4.2 Proportion of MPs Elected from ST-Reserved Lok Sabha
Constituencies, 10th–16th Lok Sabha 129
4.3 Marital Status of Women and Men MPs in the 15th and
16th Lok Sabhas 139
4.4 Number of Children among Men and Women MPs in
the 15th and 16th Lok Sabhas 140
4.5 Age Distribution of Men and Women MPs at the Start
of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009) 141
x Tables and Figures
4.6 Age Distribution of Men and Women MPs at the Start
of the 16th Lok Sabha (2014) 141
5.1 Box Plots Showing Participation in Debates of 14th Lok
Sabha by ‘Gender’ 172
5.2 Box Plot of Gender and Debates in the 15th Lok Sabha 173
6.1 Composition of Members of the CEW, 13th to 16th
Lok Sabhas 215
Abbreviations
AAP Aam Aadmi Party
ADR Association for Democratic Reforms
AIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
AIDWA All India Democratic Women’s Association
AIIMS All India Institute of Medical Sciences
AIMIM All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen
AIWC All India Women’s Conference
ASHA accredited social health activist
BJD Biju Janata Dal
BJP Bharatiya Janata Party
BPSF Bengal Provincial Students Federation
BPST Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training
BSP Bahujan Samaj Party
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination against Women
CEW Committee for the Empowerment of Women
CPI Communist Party of India
CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist)
DMDK Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
DMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
DRSC Departmentally related standing committee
ECI Election Commission of India
GEM Gender Empowerment Measure
GOI Government of India
HRD human resource development
ICC Internal Complaints Committee
INC Indian National Congress