Nidhi Jarwal,
- Research Scholar, Department of Philosophy, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
Abstract
This study investigates the persistent disconnect in women’s political participation in India, where their consistently high voter turnout stands in stark contrast to their minimal presence in Parliament. Although constitutional provisions guarantee equality and women demonstrate strong engagement as voters, their representation within formal political structures remains disproportionately low. Using the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a primary reference point, the research interrogates core questions surrounding this imbalance: Why does women’s active electoral participation fail to translate into equitable parliamentary representation? Why have legislative commitments to equality not succeeded in ensuring a proportional presence of women? What systemic and societal barriers inhibit women from attaining equal footing in political leadership? Does politics continue to be perceived – and function – as a male-dominated sphere deemed unsuitable for women? To address these questions, the study employs data from the Election Commission of India, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the Global Gender Gap Report, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. These sources underpin an analysis of women’s roles as voters, electoral candidates, and parliamentarians, while international comparisons further contextualize India’s position in global rankings of female political representation. The central argument posits that despite women’s broad participation as voters, societal expectations for them to pursue elected office or assume leadership roles remain limited. This hesitation is shaped by entrenched socio-cultural constructs, including patriarchal norms, rigid gender prescriptions, and longstanding biases discouraging women from entering the public political domain. Structural obstacles such as restricted access to political networks, inadequate financial resources, and weak institutional support – compound these constraints. The paper also engages with the ethical dimensions of gender disparity in political institutions and the moral obligations of democratic systems to ensure fair and inclusive representation. Additionally, it investigates how knowledge about women’s political participation is produced, interpreted, and circulated, and how these narratives influence public attitudes and policy design. Overall, the study seeks to offer a comprehensive assessment of the challenges and transformative pathways necessary to advance gender parity in India’s political representation.
Keywords: Women’s Political Participation, Gender Representation, Patriarchy and Power Structures, Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Political Leadership Barriers
[This article belongs to OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal ]
Nidhi Jarwal. Electoral Engagement and Political Representation: An Analytical Study of Women’s Participation in India’s Democratic Process. OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal. 2025; 15(03):1-23.
Nidhi Jarwal. Electoral Engagement and Political Representation: An Analytical Study of Women’s Participation in India’s Democratic Process. OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal. 2025; 15(03):1-23. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/osmj/article=2025/view=235730
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OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 03 |
| Received | 13/11/2025 |
| Accepted | 06/12/2025 |
| Published | 08/12/2025 |
| Publication Time | 25 Days |
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