Question- What were the arguments in favour of reservation of women?

Answer -

During the debate in favour of women’s quota and reservation policy, the following arguments mainly came up :

➤ Women’s quota will promote gender equity by guaranteeing minimum representativeness of gender-elected assemblies;
➤ Greater presence of women in legislative bodies will ensure better representation of women’s interests; and
➤ The Women’s Quota will enable the elected Pradhan Sabhas, and thereby, the wider society, to profitably exploit the resource base formed by women, distinguished talents.

There are also some negative arguments highlighting the flaws in the quota system as a tool towards more equitable political representation of women:

➤ Only upper-class women, or female relatives of politicians, will actually benefit from reservations;
➤ At present there are not enough women ready to work as lawmakers, therefore, a large number of disabled people will likely be selected;
➤ There is a fear of a male adverse reaction in terms of the elected constituencies open to women and the positions they can hold in legislatures, which puts them in the category of a political ‘Dalit minority’; and
➤ The rotation of constituencies reserved for women would deprive women of any kind of political representation, and create any kind of feminine unity.

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