Caste, Gender, and Political Representation: Examining Women's Participation in Indian Politics

Analysis Research

Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Caste, Gender, and Political Representation: Examining Women’s Participation in Indian Politics

Dr. E. Sudha Rani , Dr. Gedam Kamalakar

DIP: 18.02.057/20251002

DOI: 10.25215/2455/1002057

Received: May 23, 2025; Revision Received: June 26, 2025; Accepted: June 30, 2025

Abstract

The intersection of caste, gender, and political representation plays a crucial role in shaping women’s participation in Indian politics. Despite constitutional provisions and policy interventions aimed at promoting gender equity, women’s representation in legislative bodies remains significantly low. The dynamics of caste further influence their political engagement, often creating barriers or opportunities based on socio-political hierarchies. The article examines the historical and contemporary trends of women’s political participation in India, focusing on the structural, institutional, and societal challenges they face. It also explores the role of political parties, reservations, and grassroots movements in enhancing women’s political representation. Using a qualitative and quantitative approach, the research highlights key trends, policy implications, and the need for inclusive governance frameworks to strengthen women’s role in decision-making. The women contribute to the broader discourse on gender justice and democratic representation in India, offering insights into possible reforms to bridge the gender gap in politics.

Keywords

The author(s) appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the research process.

The author(s) declared no conflict of interest.

This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Responding Author Information

Dr. Gedam Kamalakar @ kamalakarou@gmail.com

Caste, Gender, and Political Representation: Examining Women’s Participation in Indian Politics

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Article Overview

ISSN 2455-670X

DIP: 18.02.057/20251002

DOI: 10.25215/2455/1002057

Published in

Volume 10 Issue 2, April – June, 2025

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References

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