For women, where there’s a bill, there’s a way

NEW DELHI - Perhaps one shouldn’t expect too much too soon from the women’s reservation bill - but besides changing the face of politics, it is bound to alter the gender dynamics of Indian society gradually, say experts.

Counsellor Sameer Parikh says quotas are sometimes required to initiate change. The women’s reservation bill will surely have an impact on the mindset of Indian society although it will be a gradual process.

“There is absolutely no denying that the reservation bill will have its impact on the mindset of people here. The reservation will ensure that more women come to the forefront of public life and make people realise their ability to perform at par with their male counterparts,” Parikh told IANS.

“It’s however difficult to predict when the change will be seen…it’s a churning process. But just like in urban India where women are making tremendous progress in every field thanks to education and opportunity, the bill will, in a few years time, change the mindset and the dynamics in Indian society as a whole,” he added.

The historic women’s reservation bill which seeks to reserve 33 percent legislative seats for women was passed in the Rajya Sabha last week amid much furore. It is yet to be passed by the Lok Sabha and no dates have been decided so far for discussing the bill in the lower house of parliament which will go for a near four-week recess next week.

In a passionate speech, Brinda Karat, leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, said: “The bill will change (the country’s political) culture because women today are still caught in a culture prison. In the name of tradition, stereotypes are imposed and we have to fight these every day.

“These stereotypes will also be broken. However, a woman is not a superwoman; so things will not change overnight. Please don’t expect them to prove themselves or to do wonders. I do believe that their entry will surely make for more sensitive politics. It’s a critical mass that will affect policy,” she added.

But experts insist that it is more than politics that the bill will have an impact on.

Sociologist Kamal Mitra Chenoy said: “In the beginning, the women’s bill will not have much impact on society as a whole because it will be just the dominant castes who will field their candidates in the political arena. But in time, it will empower women by challenging patriarchy.”

“With more women in politics, others will get motivated to be more active, just like it has been at the panchayat level. The gender dynamics will change over a period of time,” Shenoy told IANS.

Praveen Thapar, chairperson of the Sanjivni Centre for Mental Health, said: “The women’s reservation bill will give the women folk the much-needed opportunity to prove their mettle to the world.

“It’s a well-known fact that women are not considered or treated equally with their male counterparts, especially in the rural landscape; so this bill will give them the opportunity and the exposure,” she added.

Ranjana Kumari, social activist and chairperson of the Centre for Social Research, who has long been fighting for the introduction of the bill, said: “More women walking into parliament will not just change Indian politics but also pave the way for equitable socio-economic development in the country.”

Parikh capped off saying at the end of the day every society has an inherent need to progress and this bill will show them the way.

“A restrictive mindset is regressive and every society wants to be progressive. This bill will pave the way for the latter,” he said.

(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.p@ians.in)