Parliaments & Representatives

In recent years, India has witnessed a significant rise in women’s empowerment, reflected in greater participation in education, politics, entrepreneurship, and social activism. However, this progress has also sparked debates over culture, morality, and autonomy. Incidents like the disruption of the Miss Rishikesh pageant rehearsal in Uttarakhand reveal persistent moral policing and patriarchal control, challenging women’s right to self-expression. Addressing these tensions is essential to promote gender equality, individual freedom, and a society that genuinely respects women’s choices and aspirations.

What are the Key Factors Driving the Growth of Women’s Empowerment in India? 

• Increasing Female Literacy: India's female literacy rate was projected at around 70.3% in 2025, showing a steady upward trend thanks to government schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.  

  • Female youth literacy is even higher at 96% for ages 15-24, reflecting growing educational access.  

  • However, rural-urban and state-wise disparities persist, with states like Kerala and Mizoram having close to universal female literacy, while Bihar and Rajasthan lag behind considerably. 

• Rising Workforce Participation: Female labour force participation rate has shown encouraging growth, reaching 41.7% in 2023-24, up from under 30% a decade ago. 

  • Women's participation is increasing, particularly in the formal sectors, the gig economy, and skilled jobs such as IT and healthcare.  

  • Self-employment among women rose from 51.9% in 2017 to 67.4% in 2024, indicating growing economic independence and entrepreneurship opportunities. 

• Entrepreneurship and Economic Independence: Women-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have nearly doubled over the last decade to about 1.92 crore enterprises in 2023-24.  

  • The share of women-owned proprietary establishments in India has risen significantly from 17.4% in 2010–11 to 26.2% in 2023–24, reflecting growing female entrepreneurship and economic participation, driven by initiatives like PM Mudra Yojana, Stand-Up India, and Mahila E-Haat. 

• Political Representation: As of 2025, women constitute approximately 13.6% of the Lok Sabha, with 74 women elected to the 18th Lok Sabha, reflecting a slight dip from 14.4% in the 17th Lok Sabha (78 women).  

  • Despite this, women’s representation in local governance remains robust, with nearly 46% of elected representatives at the Panchayati Raj Institutions being women, supported by several state-level provisions for up to 50% reservation.  

  • The landmark Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023) mandates a 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies, currently awaiting implementation post-delimitation. 

    • Increasingly, women politicians are influencing policies on gender equality and social welfare. 

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The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has emphasized the importance of inclusive political participation, calling for increased women’s representation in nation-building efforts.

‎Sen. Tinubu made the call during the 774 Explode Programme; an empowerment initiative organized by the Office of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Women Leader, themed, “Enhancing Gender Space in Politics”, which took place at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City.

‎Represented by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, Sen. Tinubu celebrated women’s invaluable contributions in nation building and growth. She noted Nigeria’s low representation of women in elected positions and called for change. She further emphasized women’s success in various sectors and advocated for economic empowerment, political participation and reserved seats for women with the goal of creating more opportunities for them to address social challenges and build a stronger society.

‎The APC National Women Leader, Dr. Mary Alile highlighted the stigma and cultural barriers that have discouraged women from participating in politics in Nigeria to include the notion that politics is a “Dirty game” and that women should focus on domestic roles. She noted that the current generation of women is more determined and educated, and deserves a chance to contribute to decision-making.

Full article here.

The clamour for increased representation of women in Nigeria’s political space has once again come to the fore, as stakeholders await the outcome of the Reserved Seats Bill currently before the National Assembly.

The bill, also referred to as “Additional or Reserved Seats Bill’’ seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide reservation for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly to address the low number of women in the legislature.

If passed into law, the bill will address the long-standing concerns of women underrepresentation in governance and decision-making by ensuring that these special seats are to be contested and filled by women only as a temporary measure to boost their representation.

The bill proposes the creation of one Special Seat for women per Senatorial District and one per Federal Constituency to be contested by women in general elections of which they will have the same privileges and responsibilities as existing members.

This political solution is expected to exist alongside the current constituency seats and will be in place for a limited number of election cycles, after which they will be reviewed to strengthen women’s political inclusion.

Full article here.

Nigeria ranks among the lowest in Africa for women’s political representation, while countries like Rwanda, Namibia, and South Africa lead with robust gender-inclusive policies and high female participation in governance.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, remains near the bottom of the continental rankings, with only 4.1% of seats in its National Assembly held by women as of 2025. This figure pales in comparison to countries like Rwanda (61.3%), Namibia (44.2%), and South Africa (42.7%), which have institutionalised gender parity through legal reforms and party-level quotas.

Rwanda stands as the global leader in women’s parliamentary representation. Following the 1994 genocide, the country rebuilt its political system with gender equity at its core. The Rwandan constitution mandates a minimum 30 per cent representation for women in decision-making bodies, and political parties actively promote female candidates. As a result, women occupy over 60 per cent of seats in the lower house, and hold key ministerial positions in health, education, and gender affairs.

Full article here.

Researchers at the King Center on Global Development are addressing challenges such as gender-based violence and low labor participation, with the aim to inform supportive policy interventions.

When it comes to managing the administrative tasks that are required to run a home and raise a family, women bear the brunt of the responsibility. According to one study of women in the United States, mothers take on 7 out of 10 so-called mental load tasks, which range from planning meals to scheduling activities for children.

All that extra work takes a toll, including on society: Women who carry more mental load are less interested in national politics (men who carry more mental load also report less political interest, but fewer men are in that position).

Full article.