CSDS - KAS partnership dates back to more than a decade now and has put forth a wide range of successful projects, among them the first Indian youth study and an evaluation of the use of Social Media in this year’s general election.
At the beginning of the event, both Sanjay Kumar, Director of the Centre for the Studies of Developing Societies, and Peter Rimmele, Head of KAS India, stressed on the well-functioning collaboration existing between both institutions and the need for research on female participation in politics. While Mr. Rimmele urged all men to contribute towards the goal of gender equality, Mr. Kumar explained that it’s time to look beyond the sheer number of political participation of women and to dig deeper into disclosing the roots of women participation and non-participation.
After the statements from CSDS and KAS representatives, Jyoti Mishra, part of the Lokniti research team, presented the methodology used and the key findings of the study. Research was based on a survey conducted in eleven Indian states through a standardized questionnaire with close-ended questions wherein the sampling aimed at denoting each state’s socio-economic landscape.
The key findings were as follows:
- Winnability is used as a “mask” to explain away why women candidates are nominated in lesser numbers by parties
- Women in rural areas have demonstrated a greater interest, especially in local politics
- Patriarchal mindsets are a critical limitation inhibiting women’s active participation
- Absence of a fair share in decision making at home has a negative impact on women’s participation in politics
In the third part of the evening, four panelists from various hues of the wide Indian political spectrum were invited to discuss the biggest barriers for female activism based on the findings of the study. In the first round of questions Neha Joshi, social activist, national media co-in charge of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Atishi Marlena, politician, educator, political activist and former adviser to the deputy chief minister of Delhi (Aam Admi Party), Ragini Nayak, politician, lawyer (INC) and Shazia Ilmi, politician and social activist (BJP), were asked to name one dimension from the study which provoked them most. The four party representatives stressed the effect of “internalized patriarchy” steering female’s voting behavior and influencing general political action with a male dominance, a symptom which has recently begun to dissolve. In this context, the outlook on the positive effect of education on independent decision-making offers a ray of hope towards the possibility of a significant shift in opinions. The report furthermore discloses that women are being kept away from independent opinion making institutions – e.g. universities, parliament, legislatures- which represents another feature of “internalized patriarchy”.
While discussing the 2nd issue of male-dominated structures of decision making in political parties, the panelists emphasized the significance of an upbringing within a political family. Political dynasties bear the advantage of being close to political institutions and decision-makers which alleviates the entry into the political world. In this regard, Neha Joshi stated that “Men don’t want women in politics unless they are in their families”, as women are still considered to be more vulnerable than men, having lower “Winnability”. Furthermore, it is an inherent feature of patriarchal structured parties to reproduce a male-dominated system onto political activism that subsequently favors male candidates
Despite the good initial conditions of women in political families, discrimination on the ground of gender within families was mentioned as being one roadblock in the third round of the panel discussion. Female inferiority within families reflects in the different weightage given to boys’ and girls’ school education as well as the expectation towards a woman to drop a professional career for raising children. Another roadblock was the popular belief that “politics” equals betrayal, fraud and corruption – unimaginable for a family to let their daughter work in that environment. One panelist pointed out that women are not yet accepted as leaders as attention is drawn towards their characters and their personal lives without assessing their professional capabilities.
Last but not least, the panelists entered into a question- and- answer round by themselves, focusing on their personal biographies and career paths. Being asked if it's true that women have simply not done enough to fight inequality, Neha Joshi said that generally, political legacy within a family is being transferred towards the boys rather than the girls. To fight this fixation, women have to stand up for their leadership qualities as otherwise, they won’t be seen by men.
The discussion among the panelists was followed by a question- and- answer round with the audience.
Some results of the study can be found on qz.com and moneycontrol.com.