Political Participation of Women at Local Level in Odisha

Abstract

Democracy is a form of government which hails for the equality of all sections of people including women. But the ground reality in India is different than the ideal situation as described in democracy of India. The women are more visible excluded from the political scenario and affairs of the country. In spite of many policies meant to exist for women participation in politics, the political participation of women at the local level is abysmally low in Odisha. In comparison to men, the participation of women in two key areas like policy formulation and decision-making processes is very low. The existing principle of gender equality endorsed by the constitution of India is yet to be translated fully into reality. The women of Odisha are proportionally underrepresented in the political forum at national and state level. The Indian society has not been successful to denounce discrimination against women on the basis of stereotypical gender norms and roles and Odisha is not an exception to it. The present study is an exploration of the political participation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in western Odisha. The findings of the study indicate that the participation level of women in Political scenario is low in Odisha and hence there is a greater need for encouragement and freedom to be provided to women to ensure more participation.