Vol. 3, Issue 4, Part I (2017)

Gender equality in political participation is a fundamental aspect of modern democratic governance. Under international standards, both men and women should have equal rights and opportunities to participate fully in all aspects and at all levels of political processes. Although, women have made great strides forward in obtaining a vote and right to be elected to political offices in many countries, they comprise less than 11 per cent of the Members of Parliament. Though the various legislative enactment and different commissions established for promoting gender equality, gender disparity still exists particularly in political arena too. Promoting women’s participation in politics is one of the core areas of women empowerment. The presence of women in the decision-making levels not only enhances their social, political and economic status, but also strengthens democratic institutions by making them more inclusive and meaningful. Though women have achieved greater strides still they are unable to participate in politics due to political, socio-economic, ideological and psychological factors. To have strong democratic governance, women’s equal participation is must and therefore their contribution to this processes needs to be analyzed in the appropriate context. There cannot be a real democracy if the voices and issues of women that constitute half the population of the country are ignored or sidelined. Thus this paper analyzes the challenges and issues of women in participating at national and local governance.