Thread by @wolfsandheer

1/n While the article aptly highlights the need for greater gender parity in the parliament, it seems to not address the India's own tryst with women reservation in the Panchayati Raj system

https://twitter.com/IndianExpress/status/1430749343632420866

2/n ijsr.net/archive/v3i11/… This research on the Panchayati Raj Elected Women Representatives highlighted grime reality of hijacking of the reservation by male counterparts chiefly amongst other issues

However, it underscores the importance of women reservation in the elections

3/n The paper before recommending measures highlights that the reservation alone cannot secure empowerment although it does have a key role to play

4/n academia.edu/31165781/Women… Another research on the state of EWRs noted disparity in the actualised empowerment between EWRs and their male counterparts

5/n The key takeaway from both the studies remain that holistic empowerment is a socio-politico-cultural one. The chief impediment, to this day, remains awareness. Not only in the availability but also scope of opportunities.

6/n However, this is not to disparage any reservation as the studies do highlight the greater discussions on women's issues in the wards and greater empowerment realised. The idea is to plan for a holistic and parallel development.

7/n The second to only awareness is the idea of autonomy through financial or social cooperatives/SHGs. One way to bring about this is incentives.

8/n Incentives, however, are a slippery slope. When the government linked fertility rates to EWR's candidature, instead of lower fertility rates in a bid to secure power, there were fewer women candidates and the fertility rates remained.

9/n In our bid to realise gender parity in the political space, we must view the political space not in isolation but as a product of socio-cultural landscape. Women Reservation Bill can be the right step, provided the momentum only builds further.

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