Reservations for Women: Do They Really Help?

The much-awaited Women's Reservation Bill was finally passed on 21 September 2023 by a unanimous majority from both houses of Parliament. But the question still remains, are reservations the instrument that we need in today's modern world for the upliftment and empowerment of women, or are they just one of the many tall promises of the politicians undertaken to satisfy the voice of the few?

First of all, it is important to mention that there is no "perfect policy" in a democracy. Each decision taken by the government will garner appreciation from one segment of society and resentment from the other. So the question we need to ask ourselves today is:

Do reservations actually help in the upliftment of women? If yes, then is it the solution that we want for the empowerment of women in the long run?

First things first, what is the argument against reservations?

Well, society today is all about feminism, i.e. portraying men and women as equals and ensuring equality of rights and opportunity. On one hand, society is preaching that women are just as capable as men in securing high-value positions in different fields of expertise, but on the other hand, it's demanding reservations. If we take the example of developed societies such as the Scandinavian countries, then we can clearly see that even without reservations women easily occupy a good proportion of seats in the legislature and administration.

I mean, after all, won't reservations just act as an obstacle in viewing women as equals?

On top of that, even if women candidates participate in elections, despite being just as good as their male counterparts, they still lose seats. Plus, parties are more apprehensive about handing out tickets to women candidates. In 2019, only 9% of the tickets were given to women and at least one-third of women candidates had to contest independently due to a lack of party support.

Do we really think that making reservations is going to increase women's participation and acceptance in politics?

Secondly, how do we make sure that the government isn't just introducing reservations as a superficial policy to seemingly satisfy those who have been demanding the same and thus take advantage of this opportunity to increase their vote bank?

I mean, technically, yes, the government is working towards the upliftment of women, but how effective is it?

Thirdly, as is seen commonly in caste-based reservations, many rich and privileged people often misuse the quotas to secure positions, thereby making the policy ineffective for those who should have been benefitting from it in the first place, i.e., the underprivileged.

How do these new reservations combat this problem?

Okay, let's take a deep breath here. If there's one thing we Indians know how to do, then it's to drink chai and criticize the government.

If we just take a step back and think about it broad-mindedly, then what is democracy, in the first place?

It's a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Caught in our spiral of criticism, we often forget that the government is a reflection of its citizens and its policies are, at the end of the day, designed by the actions of the citizens themselves.

Okay wait, are you trying to say that we, THE CITIZENS, are supposed to actually do something instead of just ranting on about the fallacies of our government?!

Yes! The only reason why our societies require reservations today is because of the deep-rooted gender discrimination that has been instilled into the minds of our population so amazingly well, that we blurt out stereotypes and discriminatory remarks much faster than we steal the last mithai. So the question arises, why does gender discrimination exist? The answer is simple, it exists because of a basic lack of social education. While there is no arguing against the fact that our education system has been currently changing to ensure more holistic development of students rather than simply academics, a crucial factor is still missing from it - SOCIAL AND CIVIC EDUCATION.

Much like charity begins at home, social and civic education too begins at home. Just like parents teach their children to say namaste to their elders, it is their responsibility to also teach them how to treat women with respect and view them as nothing but a slightly different Homo sapiens clan with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses that they more often than not, share with men. Such basic education is often overlooked by both parents and schools, as a result of which, SOCIETY suffers in the long run. When we talk about harassment, along with the education of women, we never fail to mention that men should be educated as well. Imagine how much better and safer this world would be today if the concept of respecting women had been instilled into their minds from a young age instead of gender stereotypes.

And since we are on the topic of reforming our education system, if we introduce subjects like women empowerment, financial literacy, social and moral responsibilities of a citizen, etc in our curriculum instead of teaching students about the same age-old wars and battles that have unfortunately lost their significance in the modern world, then women won't need to be empowered. Women won't need to feel subordinate to their male counterparts.

Plus, OPEN YOUR EYES!

There's no ignoring the penetration of technology in India, especially in rural and remote areas (I mean, even a vegetable vendor accepts money through GooglePay today!). Maybe some villages do not have proper schools because of which the people living there can never receive the education necessary to change their conservative mindsets. However, with just a single device and a proper internet connection, these same people can not only learn the ways of the modern and educated world but can also grow at the individual and societal level and contribute as aware citizens of a democracy.

All this is fine. But what about the educated middle and upper class of our country? Isn't their awareness enough to compel the government not to introduce superficial policies?

The problem isn't in the proportion of educated middle and upper class in our country, it is in the proportion of educated and middle class who actually vote; and actually do something when they have the opportunity instead of just ranting about it later. They rather prefer to spend the day with their families or go for an outing to Lonavala because seriously, will one less vote even matter? Well yes, when that mindset is prevalent among at least a million people, then that one less vote becomes one million fewer votes and IT MATTERS! Why do you think the government so casually introduces these superficial schemes whose main motive is to SEEMINGLY help disadvantaged groups? It's because they are aware of two things:

1. The poor, disadvantaged, and backward segments of society constitute the majority of voters whereas the so-called educated population rarely votes in such large numbers.

2. These disadvantaged groups lack education and awareness and thus are easily manipulated by the tall promises and superficial schemes of the government.

Once the government realizes (and believe me, it already has realized this) that this is how their democracy works today, they won't stop it. Why? Because they are getting more votes and more seats without doing any real work; without introducing meaningful and effective policies that actually benefit the people. And frankly, it's not the job or what is expected from the government to urge people to vote. Especially educated people! Do you see the paradox? We strive to solve the problem by introducing more quality education without addressing another major problem conveniently hidden: the educated do not vote. If you're still struggling to understand why this is such a major problem, then let me paint you a picture.

Imagine a world where the educated middle and upper class do vote. These people have the requisite knowledge of their fundamental rights and powers as citizens, of what is expected from the government, and the ability to view all the policies of the government with a finely trained eye. In such a situation, the government is compelled to make effective policies. And guess what? In this world, the party that introduces and implements (not promises!) better policies forms the government. So, to win elections, parties are forced to meet every demand and need of the people and to introduce better and more organized policies and schemes each time. Much like how the introduction of MNCs in the economic and industrial zone of a country compels the local companies to improve their quality and product to survive, the introduction of more aware and educated voters compels these parties to improve the quality of their policies and schemes to form the government.

Okay, but how do we prevent the misuse of these reservations by the so-called "underprivileged"?

Every government policy in this world is misused to a certain extent. After all, politics wouldn't be politics without a small pint of corruption. But the million-dollar question is, is the misuse of this particular policy, overweighing its benefits?

When the government realizes that it now represents an educated and aware society that will look at its every decision with a critical eye, it makes sure to cover up all loopholes and fallacies, hence leading to the introduction of the CREAMY LAYER. In 1993, the Supreme Court of India defined the creamy layer as a term to refer to some members of a backward segment of society who are highly advanced socially, as well as economically, and educationally, and thus, are denied from getting the benefits of reservation. So, it's simple. The daughter of a government officer, despite being from a socially disadvantaged community, will not receive the benefits of reservations which can hence be utilized by those who actually need it, i.e., the underprivileged.

So, to summarize it all, of course, somewhere, reservations do act as obstacles in viewing women as equals. Somewhere reservations are misused - both by governments and by the citizens. But as we know, no policy is completely right or wrong. Each has its pros and cons and what matters at the end of the day is do the pros outweigh the cons. In the case of reservations, at present, it benefits more people than it hurts. It benefits democracy as a whole as it ensures that the disadvantaged do not feel alienated from the government. With reservations, the proportion of women in the Lok Sabha is estimated to rise from 72 to a whopping 179. But at the same time, they are not the solution in the long run. What democracy needs today is not only active citizen participation but also quality social and civic education at the most basic level. Of course, the change won't be immediate. It will be gradual, but at least it will be there. In the meantime, to ensure the upliftment of women, albeit minimal, reservations are the best option as something is better than nothing, right? So to end it, I leave you with a quote:

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.