In global election year, Indian women have less political heft than peers

Around 64 countries are going to polls in 2024

Around 64 countries, which together account for the majority of the world’s population, will be holding elections in 2024.

A comparison with key peers shows that Indian women hold relatively lower political power than many of them. The comparison looked at countries going to the polls in India’s neighbourhood as well as emerging and developed market peers.

More than 50 per cent of the voting age population consists of women in the US, UK, Pakistan, Indonesia and others. Russia had the highest share at 54.8 per cent. India has had fewer women than men because of reasons including gender-biased abortions, though this is said to be improving in recent years. India’s share of women in the voting age population as it stands based on United Nations population projections was 48.7 per cent (chart 1).

A lower share of voters can mean less political power for women. This in turn can translate into adverse outcomes in key areas such as access to education, chances of employment, and the health infrastructure to ensure safe childbirth.

The lower secondary completion rate for women is 88.83 per cent. This indicator looks at women in the last grade for secondary education relative to the number of women in the population which is of that age. It is lower for India than peers including Indonesia and Mexico (chart 2). The ratio can be over 100 per cent because of children who repeat grades, and those that might be over-age or under-age compared to their peers in the same grade.

Only 24 per cent of the working age population of women in India is part of the labour force. It is twice that figure in many developed countries and emerging market peers (chart 3).

India has a maternal mortality rate of 103 deaths per 100,000 live births. This measures the number of women dying per 100,000 live births. The United Kingdom has the lowest maternal mortality rate, with 10 deaths per 100,000 live births, and Indonesia has the highest maternal mortality rate of 173 deaths per 100,000 live births (chart 4).

A December 2023 State Bank of India study suggested that women could outnumber men in terms of the number of voters as soon as 2029.

“In 2029, we project total voter turnout at the current rate of polling could touch 73 crores, of which women voters at 37 crores could be outstripping registered men voters at 36 crores … the inflection point would be a testimony to women getting their due share on socio-economic fronts and should be a harbinger of harmonised growth,” it said.