Women’s Participation: Essential for Inclusive Development in India
The Evolution of Women’s Participation in Indian Development and Governance
Development and the Role of Women: An Indian Historical Perspective
Beyond Economic Growth: The Imperative of Women’s Participation in Indian Development
From Rig-Veda to 73rd Amendment: The Journey of Women’s Political Participation in India
Author : Mohan, A.K.Department of Social Work, University of Mysore
Development without the participation of the people has no meaning. Participation is the people’s involvement in the decision-making process about what is to be done and by whom; their involvement in implementing the programme, sharing benefits, and monitoring and evaluating the programme (Cohen and Uphoff, 1977). Policy makers and implementers often mistake development to refer to both human and economic development. “The purpose of development is to help people live longer, more productive, and more fulfilling lives.” This simple but powerful truth is too often forgotten in the pursuit of material and financial wealth (Singla, 2007:23). Some of the issues of human development are gender inequality, the lower status of women, and the consequent low level of participation by women in the decision-making process. Development till date is not sex neutral—it is biased against the fair sex (Joseph, 1997). If more number of women are not involved in the decision making process, it is not possible to hope for a sustainable development. The best way to judge the position of a nation is to find out the status of its women. If the position of women is good, then such society could be called as a developed society.
There is no doubt that women in India have played an important role in history and social life. They have participated in every branch of national activity, from high learning to showing valour on the battlefield. But it is their unobtrusive work in the household, in the village or in the larger community that has moulded the nation (Nehru, 1990). History makes it clear that the women in our country remained socially and politically backward. However, in the Rig-Veda, women were considered as ‘sahadharminis’ to their husband which means that they were fully the equal of men. Thus, the Rig-Veda accorded the highest social position to women of those days. The Upanishads also throws light on the intellectual life of the times in which men and women were equal participants. As far as women participation in politics is concerned, history presents us with some very powerful queens like Elizabeth I, Anne, and Victoria of England, Catherine the Great of Russia, Christina of Sweden, and Razia Sultan, Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai, Shanthala, Kittore Rani Chennamma, and Rani Abbakkka (India). During ancient times, the laws of most nations excluded women from succeeding to the throne and so women could play political roles only as wives and mothers or mistresses of kings (Ambedkar and Nagendra, 2011).
Introduction
The Indian National Congress on its formation opened its platform to women who spoke, voted and worked as delegates. It is significant to note that Dr. Annie Besant presided over the first annual meetings of the Indian National Congress. The women’s Indian Association along with diverse bodies protested for the women’s franchise to be made similar to men and also for eligibility for women to all elective posts. Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy was the first Indian woman to be nominated to the Legislative Council by the Madras Government and also the first to be elected its Vice-President. The women’s movement, certainly, had Gandhi’s blessings but he had been initially averse to women taking an active part in the Salt Satyagrah. This was resisted by Margaret Cousins strongly. Women are of the opinion that no conferences, congresses or commissions dealing with the welfare of India should be held without their presence. Due to their sustained and persistent struggle for equal rights and franchise, women were allowed to take part actively in the provinces and the Central Legislative Assembly. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first Indian woman to serve as Minister of Local-self-Government and Public Health in the then UP Congress Government. Aruna Asaf Ali was the first woman to hoist the Indian flag in 1942, in Bombay (Prasad, 2011). The participation of women in local self government was not satisfactory until the passage of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992.