Women's Reservation Bill: Where else have seats been reserved for women?

Parliament special session: In 2018, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report, only 24 per cent of parliamentarians were women

In a historic move, the Centre cleared the Women's Reservation Bill in the Union Cabinet meeting on Monday. It will be introduced for passage in the special session of the Parliament on Wednesday.

This move could mean that women would get a 33 per cent reservation in seats in the Parliament and state legislative assemblies.

Globally, women have a vast underrepresentation in local and national politics. In 2018, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report, only 24 per cent of parliamentarians were women.

Philippines

Starting from the Philippines in the early 1990s, a number of nations, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, have enacted legislation to reserve seats in the Parliament to ensure female political participation.

 

The Philippines upholds the rights of women to effective participation in leadership. Women's representation in the Parliament is at 28 per cent, one of the highest in Southeast Asia and above the world's average of 25 per cent. The Philippines is among the countries in the region with the highest rate of women's representation in politics at the local level at 29 per cent.

The government of the Philippines ensures that women are in top-level positions in the Philippine civil service. Women comprise 50.88 per cent of the government's total human resources, and in career services, which includes professional, technical and scientific positions, women representation is at 57.59 per cent.

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A proposed Bill in the Congress of the Philippines sets a 40 per cent gender quota in political parties' decision-making structures and in the number of candidates that political parties will field during elections.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, after 2002, 17 per cent of the seats in the National Assembly were reserved for women.

The governments in Pakistan undertook several measures to ensure significant women representation in legislative bodies.

The Constitution of Pakistan of 1956 reserved ten seats for women in the unicameral Parliament, with five seats each from East and West Pakistan. The Constitution of Pakistan of 1962 reserved six seats for women in the National Assembly, with three seats each from East and West Pakistan.

The Constitution of Pakistan of 1973 reserved ten seats for women for ten years from the commencing day of the Constitution or the holding of the third general elections to the National Assembly, whichever occurred later. In 1985, ten seats were increased to 20, and the reserved seats for women were increased to 60 in 2002 under the Pervez Musharraf government.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the "Jatiya Sangsad" (also known as the House of the Nation), the supreme legislative body of Bangladesh, has 350 seats, including 50 seats reserved exclusively for women.

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In 1972, Bangladesh introduced the reservation for women in the National Parliament, reserving 15 seats for 10 years in addition to the existing 300 seats. In 1979, the seats were increased to 30, taking the total parliamentary seats to 330 for a period of the next 15 years.

However, in 2011, passing the 15th amendment to the Constitution, Bangladesh reserved 50 seats for women, taking the total tally of the National Parliament to 350 seats.

Argentina, Nepal and others

In the early 1990s, countries such as Argentina and Nepal adopted a minimum quota for women in party candidate lists. In countries such as France, South Korea, and Nepal, a quota as high as 50 per cent of the candidate list has been reserved for women. Countries such as Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica have over 36 per cent female representation in their national legislatures.

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In South Africa, women comprise 44.8 per cent of its current National Assembly. The African National Congress (ANC), the country's political party, discussed quotas for women in 1991. By 1994, 35.7 per cent of the representatives elected by the ANC were women. This resulted in the National Assembly having 25 per cent representation by women. In 2009, the ANC increased women's representation to 50 per cent, which led to the South African National Assembly having a 49.2 per cent female representation.