Dear Editor,
The women’s reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent of the seats for women in Parliament and State legislatures, has been gathering dust in the absence of a consensus between political parties. This, despite a change in Government at the Centre. Actually, male chauvinism is still alive and rampant in our society. Men merely talk about women empowerment for the sake of it.
The real strength of women lies in their being educated. As is commonly said, “If you educate a man you educate an individual; however, if you educate a woman, you educate a whole family. Women empowered means mother India empowered.”
As the editorial pointed out, women constitute only 12 per cent of parliamentarians and nine per cent of all State legislators in India, while they make up for 47 per cent of the national electorate. These figures have to be improved upon.
Azhar A Khan
via-e-mail