Dr Carole Spary CAROLE.SPARY@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Women candidates, women voters, and the gender politics of India’s 2019 parliamentary election
Spary, Carole
Authors
Abstract
© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Gender quota campaigns to increase women’s parliamentary presence in India have been ongoing for more than twenty years. Meanwhile, each general election results in the slow growth of women MPs, partly due to political parties nominating few women. The 2019 election was no different in this respect –women still make up fewer than 15% of lower house MPs. Incidents of gendered violence against women candidates also contributed to a characterisation of 2019 as a ‘toxic’ election, and will likely further discourage women’s entry into politics. One positive development, however, was two regional parties’ implementation of voluntary party gender quotas in their parliamentary candidate nominations. This article focuses on women’s political participation as candidates and voters in the 2019 parliamentary election. Parties are scrutinised as key gatekeepers for women’s political recruitment. The article also discusses the new narrative of the growing power of women voters in India, exemplified by closing gender gaps in voter turnout, and representing another aspect of women’s political engagement, potentially influencing parties’ responsiveness to women voters. The article concludes by discussing the broader implications and significance of the 2019 election, areas for further research, and prospects for women’s participation and representation in the new parliament.
Citation
Spary, C. (2020). Women candidates, women voters, and the gender politics of India’s 2019 parliamentary election. Contemporary South Asia, 28(2), 223-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2020.1765987
| Journal Article Type | Article |
|---|---|
| Acceptance Date | Apr 29, 2020 |
| Online Publication Date | May 18, 2020 |
| Publication Date | May 18, 2020 |
| Deposit Date | Aug 3, 2020 |
| Journal | Contemporary South Asia |
| Print ISSN | 0958-4935 |
| Electronic ISSN | 1469-364X |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 223-241 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2020.1765987 |
| Keywords | Women, election, India, parliament, candidate, gender, representation, equality, participation, voting |
| Public URL | https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4807756 |
| Publisher URL | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09584935.2020.1765987?journalCode=ccsa20 |