UPSC Mains 2023 GS2 Q14: model answer

Women make up only about 10% of members of State Legislative Assemblies on average. Civil society has worked to change both numbers and influence.

Contributions

• Advocacy for reservation: women's organisations such as AIDWA and the National Federation of Indian Women campaigned for decades for the Women's Reservation Bill, which became the 106th Amendment (2023).
• Grassroots pipeline: NGOs train women panchayat members, many of whom move up to Assembly politics; groups like The Hunger Project support elected women.
• Candidate support: non-partisan initiatives such as Shakti push parties to field women and train aspirants.
• Voter mobilisation: campaigns raised women's turnout, which now matches or exceeds men's in many States.
• Data and accountability: the Association for Democratic Reforms publishes candidate data and gender gaps.
• Policy input: groups give legislators research on issues like violence, health and work, improving debate quality.
• Against proxy politics: awareness against 'pati' rule and online harassment of women politicians.

Limits

• Parties control tickets and rarely give women winnable seats.
• Elections need money and networks women often lack.
• Civil society reach is thin in some States.

Way forward

• Prepare for the 106th Amendment by building a pipeline of trained women leaders.
• Women's caucuses in Assemblies.
• Support against violence in politics.

Civil society can turn the coming quota from numbers into meaningful voice.