Every third seat in Indian parliaments is to be reserved for women in the future. The two chambers of parliament voted for this with a large majority. However, it could still be years before the women’s quota actually comes into effect.
The Indian Parliament has approved a quota for women. In the future, a third of the seats in the lower house and in the state parliaments are to be reserved for women.
All 215 members of the upper house voted for the change, according to parliament. The majority in the House of Commons had already voted in favor of it on Wednesday evening. Approval is also expected from the state legislatures.
Modi: “Decisive moment in democratic journey”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the social network X – formerly Twitter – of a “decisive moment in our nation’s democratic journey”. It is a historic step that ensures that women’s voices are better heard.
However, it will probably be a long time before the reform comes into force – observers say it will be 2029 at the earliest. First, India must revise its electoral laws on the basis of a new census. The number of seats in parliament should then be adjusted depending on the population size of the individual states.
Idea of a women’s quota since 1996
A women’s quota was first proposed in India in 1996, but it was rejected for a long time by many conservative MPs. According to government figures, 104 of 788 members of the national parliament are currently women – just over 13 percent.
Overall, women are significantly underrepresented in public life in India, even though in 1966 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi became the second woman in the world to head a parliamentary democracy. But this did not lead to broader representation of women in society.