History’s biggest elections are yet another proof that we live in a “man’s world.”
Less than 8% of the total 1,271 candidates contesting the first phase of India’s general election are women.
Polls to elect India’s new Lok Sabha (parliament’s lower house) began today (April 11) with 91 constituencies across 20 states going to the polling booth. Elections are being held in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep.
While 48% of India’s population is female, they have typically stayed on the fringes of mainstream politics. Just 12.6% of India’s 543 current Lok Sabha members are women, far lower than the world average of 24.3%.
Click here to read the full article published by Quartz India on 10 April 2019.
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