India has 1.2 million elected women representatives

Number of elected women representatives in rural India is 1.2 million, the largest anywhere in the world. In 2003-04 the 73rd constitutional amendment reserved 1/3rd of all panchayat seats to women. AC Nielsen -ORG Marg had conducted astudy for Panchayati Raj ministry. These women representatives are emerging out of shadows of their male patrons. Some activists feel that the women repsresentatives are still away from being key decision makers or negotiators. Some face discrimination and harassment and it makes them difficult to exercise their powers. Some feel that for every frustrated female representative there are many who are agents of change.

Some figures and statistics:

>> Most states reserve 33% of all panchayat seats for women but some, like Bihar, allocate 50%

>> Nearly 26% of all representatives are from scheduled caste, 13% are from scheduled tribes.

>> Almost 19% of elected women are illiterate, only 48% are educated to middle or high-school level

>> 54% are above poverty line

>> work paricipation rate for women 25.7% for overall India

>> Sex ratio change from 1951 to 2001 is: 965 to 946 for rural India, 860 to 900 for urban India

>> Out of total women married around 2005-06, 44.5% married by 18 years of age (rural - 52.5%, urban - 28.1%)