Politics to peace, women leading a quiet revolution

The role of women needs to be recognised, amplified, and embedded into the architecture of India's democratic and constitutional frameworks

- Meenakshi Gopinath

Women in India are transforming the landscape of electoral politics with unprecedented force. Their turnout has now overtaken male participation in many elections — for instance, women reported a 65.8% turnout in the 2024 General Elections as against 65.6% for men, and an extraordinary 71.6% in the Bihar Assembly elections of November 2025 as against 62.8% for men.

This shift has made women an electoral constituency of immense significance. Even though their numerical representation in lawmaking remains low, their growing presence as voters has recalibrated political strategy. Welfare schemes, cash transfers, and targeted development programmes are now routinely crafted around women, reflecting a recognition that “investing” in this constituency yields tangible political dividends.

Yet, this dynamic raises more profound democratic questions. Does this “quid pro quo” empower women as full political agents? Women must not remain mere labharthis (passive recipients of State benevolence). A democracy worthy of its constitutional promise requires women as active claimants of rights, voice, and agency in policy arenas.

This shift in political participation parallels broader transformations in women's social and professional presence. Their rising presence in higher education, their substantial contribution to science and technology, their legally mandated inclusion on company boards, and their influential role in panchayati raj institutions have cumulatively infused governance with greater gender sensitivity.

The labour force story, however, remains complex. While female labour force participation has increased to 41.7% (PLFS 2023-24), nearly 95% of these women work within the informal economy, where wage gaps, precarious employment, limited social protection, and minimal access to credit continue to constrain the transformative potential of women's economic agency.