Globalization, Democracy, and Women in Indian Legislative Bodies

Contemporary globalization was shaped profoundly by the structural consequences of the Second World War. Several nations have emerged as a result of the decolonization process. India which was under British rule gained independence in 1947 and adopted a democratic political system for governance. The women were given adult franchises in the very first election held in 1952. The participation of women in political processes has been a significant phenomenon not only at the level of casting votes but they were also as people’s representatives in the legislative assembly and local bodies. However, their representation was limited due to patriarchal social structures and conservative ideology prevailing among the Indian masses. With an increase in the level of education, their participation and representation in the legislative assembly and local bodies has been increased significantly. The measures like reservation of seats in village panchayats enabled them to provide leadership at the grassroots level. A recent bill passed in the Indian parliament which reserves 33 percent of seats for women in state assembly and parliament will further empower the Indian women. The present paper aims to analyze the status of Indian women in Parliament, state assembly, and the local bodies at the empirical level. The study will cover recent parliamentary elections held in 2024, State assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2022, and local bodies elections in Varanasi town of Uttar Pradesh, India.