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Deepening Democracy in India: The Role of Women Parliamentarians and Their Challenges

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Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia

Abstract

Women as a gender category have encountered systemic disabilities woven around sociopolitical structures of dominance and deprivation in the past. However, today women are gradually proving to be an indispensible part of every sphere of life ranging from family to the larger domains of politics and economy. This paper attempts to examine the nature and scope of women’s role in the larger political landscape of India and tries to unravel the critical aspects linked to their assertion in the political structures, institutions, and policymaking processes. This paper also examines the roadblocks that prevented women from entering into the so-called male bastion which is evident from the number of their overall representation in the Indian Parliament. It attempts to understand whether women’s political participation and representation in the Parliament and legislatures has any bearing on the overall question of gender equality and gender justice, which will lead to their empowerment and emancipation in the society.

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Correspondence to Sangita Dhal .

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Dhal, S., Chakrabarty, B. (2018). Deepening Democracy in India: The Role of Women Parliamentarians and Their Challenges. In: Ahmed, N. (eds) Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57475-2_4

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