A Commentary on Affirmative Action Policies for Women in India in the Backdrop of International Commitments
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52634/10.52634/mier/2020/v10/i1/1357Keywords:
Affirmative Action, Women, Reservation, Women Empowerment, Gender Equality.Abstract
Affirmative action is often used as a tool by policymakers to promote women empowerment and gender sensitivity. This paper examines the affirmative action policies for women in India and highlights their impact on uplifting their social and economic status. India is a signatory to various international conventions on women's rights. This paper aims to study India's affirmative action policies to see whether they match with its global commitments under various frameworks like United Nations etc. An analysis of the existing research studies has been done to understand the benefits accrued to women as a result of affirmative action in the areas of education, politics and fiscal budgeting. A holistic picture of this issue has been presented so that relevant conclusions can be drawn about the efficacy of this programme.
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Published
2020-05-01
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Shailla Draboo. (2020). A Commentary on Affirmative Action Policies for Women in India in the Backdrop of International Commitments. MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends and Practices, 10(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.52634/10.52634/mier/2020/v10/i1/1357
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Copyright (c) 2021 Shailla Draboo
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Caste, gender, college quality, and academic success in India. The American Economic Review, 106(6), 1495-1521. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/43861129.
Basu, D. D. (2018). Introduction to the constitution of India. New Delhi: Lexis Nexis.
Beaman, L., Chattopadhyay, R., Duflo, E., Pande, R., & Topalova, P. (2009). Powerful Women: Does exposure reduce bias? The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124(4), 1497-1540. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org /stable /40506265.
Cassan, G. (2018). Affirmative action, education and gender: Evidence from India. Journal of Development Economics, 51-70. doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2018.10.001.
Chakraborty, L., & Singh, Y. (2017). Effectiveness of Gender Budgeting on Gender Equality and Fiscal Space: Empirical Evidence from Asia Pacific. Gender and Macroeconomics Conference. New York: Institute for the Study of International Development. Retrieved Feb 10, 2020, from http://grow.research.mcgill.ca/publications/workingpapers/ gwp-2017-09.pdf.
Chattopadhyay , R., & Duflo, E. (2004). Women as policy makers: Evidence from a randomized policy experiment in India. Econometrica, 72(5), 1409-1443. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/3598894.
Das, S. (2007). Women and empowerment : Predicament or affirmative action. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 68(1), 123-135. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/41858825.
Das, S., & Mishra, Y. (2006). Women's component plan and gender budgeting in India. Yojana, 50.
Deane, T. (2009, Jan). A commentary on the positive discrimination policy of India. PER: Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad, 12(1). Retrieved Feb 04, 2020, from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci _arttext&pid=S1727-37812009000100003&lng=en&nrm=iso.
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Drèze, J., & Sen, A. (2002). India: Development and participation. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
ECI. (2019). Participation of Women Candidates in Poll. New Delhi: Election Commission of India. Retrieved Feb 09, 2020, from file:///D:/Users/naveed/Downloads/24%20-%20Participation% 20of%20women%20candidates.pdf.
Garner, B. A. (Ed.). (2019). Black's law dictionary, 11th edition. Thomson West. Government of India (GOI). (1974). Towards Equality: Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India. New Delhi: Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Education and Social Welfare.
GOI. (2010, March). Women's Reservation Bill, The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008. Retrieved Feb 9, 2020, from PRS Legislative Research :https://www.prsindia.org/sites/default/ files/bill_files/Women_Reservation_Bill_as_passed_on_Mar_9.pd f.
GOI. (2011). Census of India: Population Composition. New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Retrieved Feb 5, 2020, from http://censusindia.gov.in/vital_statistics/SRS_Report / 9Chap %202%20-%202011.pdf.
GOI. (2011, Aug 12). Women Reservation in Panchayats. Retrieved Feb 09, 2020, from Press Information Bureau: https://pib.gov.in/newsite/ PrintRelease.aspx?relid=74501.
GOI. (2018). Educational Statistics at a Glance. Department of School Education and Literacy. New Delhi: Ministry of Human Resource Development.
GOI. (2019). Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS): Annual Report. National Statistical Department. New Delhi: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Retrieved Feb 5, 2020, from http://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/publication_report s/Annual%20Report%2C%20PLFS%202017-18_31052019.pdf.
GOI. (2019, Feb 4). Scholarships for Girls to encourage better education and career opportunities. Retrieved from Press Information Bureau: https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1562599. Indian Kanoon. (n.d.). Article 15 in The Constitution Of India 1949. Retrieved Feb 04, 2020, from https://indiankanoon.org/doc/609295/.
Kasturi, L. (1998). Greater political representation for women: The case of India. Asian Journal of Women's Studies, 4(4), 9-38. doi:10.1080/12259276.1998.11665832.
Narasimhan, S. (2002). Gender, class, and caste schisms in affirmative action policies: The Curious case of India's women's reservation bill. Feminist Economics, 183-190. doi:10.1080/13545700210161004.
NITI Aayog. (2018). SDG India index, baseline report 2018. New Delhi: NITI Aayog.
Parvati, P., Jhamb, B., Shrivastava, S., & Rehman, K. M. (2012). Review of Gender Responsive Budgeting in the Union Government and Select States. New Delhi: Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability.
SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee. (2020). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 01 10, 2020, from SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee: https://sdg4education2030.org/thegoal.
Sharma, K. (2000). Power and representation: reservation for women in India. Asian Journal of Women's Studies, 6(1), 47-87. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/12259276.2000.11665870.
Sharma, S. (2016). Achieving gender equality in India: what works, and what doesn't. UNU Collections. Retrieved Feb 09, 2020, from https://unu.edu/publications/articles/achieving-genderequalityin-india-what-works-and-what-doesnt.html.
Sowell, T. (2004). Affirmative action around the world. London: Yale University Press.
Stotsky, J., & Zaman, A. (2016). The influence of gender budgeting in Indian states on gender inequality and fiscal spending. International Monetary Fund.
The Hindu. (2018, March 8). Rajya Sabha presses for early passage of Women's Reservation Bill. Retrieved Feb 09, 2020, from The Hindu: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/rajyasabhapresses-for-early-passage-of-womens-reservationbill/ article22985645.ece#.
UGC. (2019). UGC NET June 2019. Retrieved Feb 09, 2020, from UGC - NET: https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/WebInfo/Handler/FileHandler.ashx?i= File&ii=35&iii=Y.
United Nation (UN). (2018). Gender Equality: Women's Economic Empowerment. Retrieved Feb 5, 2020, from https://in.one.un.org/unibf/genderequality/.
UN. (2020, Feb 05). CSW Founding Resolution. Retrieved from United Nations: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/pdf/CSW_foundi ng_resolution_1946.pdf.
UN. (2020, Feb 9). Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Retrieved from Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/.
UN. (2020). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved 01 09, 2020, from Sustainable Development Goals: Knowledge Platform: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300.
UN Women. (2020, Feb 07). A brief history of the Commission on the Status of Women. Retrieved from UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/ en/csw/brief-history.
UN Women. (2020, Feb 07). Commission on the Status of Women. Retrieved from UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw.
UNDP. (2019). Human development index (HDI) 2019. New York: United Nations Development Programme.
WEF. (2020). Global Gender Gap Report 2020. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Retrieved Feb 5, 2020, from http://www3.weforum.org/docs /WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf.
Yasin, A. M. (2013). Affirmative action for women in higher education and the civil service: The case of Ethopia. Retrieved Feb 02, 2020, from https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1547562/129152_thesis_.pdf.
