India ranks lower than 150 countries in the representation of women in parliament, according to data from IPU-Parline, a global database on national parliaments.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 74 women MPs were elected, making up 13.6 percent of the total members of parliament.
According to the Indian Express, 14 parties have women elected as MPs, with the BJP leading with 31 women MPs. Congress follows with 13 women MPs, and TMC has 11 women MPs.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) -Parline, a free resource on national parliaments, published a ranking in May 2024 showing the representation of women in parliaments. In 2019, 14.7 percent of MPs were women, placing India at 145 on the global index.
The 2019 number of women MPs was the highest to date in India. As of May 2024, the number has dropped, causing India’s ranking to fall to 150.
India falls short of the global average of 26.5 percent and the South and Central Asian average of 19 percent women MPs.
India is outranked by countries like the UAE, South Africa, the USA, and the UK. Rwanda, with women MPs comprising 61.3 percent of parliament, ranks highest on the index. India’s neighbors in Asia also fare better, with Pakistan at 116, China at 89, and Nepal at 55.
In 2023, India passed the Women’s Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), which will provide 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies. The bill will be enacted by 2029 at the earliest due to delimitation and census requirements.
According to Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s India representative, the quota is a step towards ensuring better participation of women in parliament. Rwanda, the country with the highest number of women MPs, also has a 30 percent reservation for women in elected positions.
