New Delhi: Union Finance Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman at a press conference after the 53rd GST Council Meeting, in New Delhi on June 22, 2024.
There has been an increase in the number of women MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha since 2019, but a decrease in their number in the Union Ministry compared to that of the previous term and which has remained constant over time.
74 new Members of Parliament (MPs) appointed to the 18th Lok Sabha included women making this group have highest percentage. This share (14%) has remained unchanged since 2019 after having risen steadily from (8%) since 2004.
Table1 | The chart illustrates how % women MPs have changed during last thirty years in Lok Shaba
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On contrary, unlike Lok Sabha which is dissolved and reconstituted entirely every five years, Rajya Sabha is not and as such there are two terms for members who serve for six years. As such its membership is renewed partially through biennial retirements of RS MPs every two years and fresh elections or nominations by President every third year.
Table2 | The chart gives annual % women MPs numbers present in Rajya Shaba since 1991
Presently, it has increased significantly over time for both houses although not up to 33% which will become mandatory if Women’s Reservation Bill will be implement. Female representation increased from about seven percent during nineteen nineties to fourteen percent presently while similar trend can be observe among Upper House members .
However, share of females in union ministry has stagnated over time. Actually it fell down to eight percent during latest term as compared to ten percent peak seen previously. From year-to-year between1990s-2020s it stood between seven per cent and fourteen per cent that saw an identical increment for Lower House; with upper house also reflected a similar increase.
But over the years, women’s proportion in the Union Ministry has remained static. In fact, this decreased to 8% in the current term compared with the previous one where it reached its peak (10%). It had fluctuated between 8 and 10 % from1989 till date except for 1996 term where it dropped to less than four-point five percent.
Table3 | The chart indicates percentage of female Union Ministers over time
Table4 | The chart illustrates seventy-two ministers in the current cabinet with each colour represents male or female. There are seven female ministers among them.
With inputs from Sambavi Parthasarathy and Jasmin Nihalani; Aafthab Ahmed A and Umar Muqthar Ragamathullah are interning with ‘Data Point’ team at ‘The Hindu’.
Source: Cabinet Secretariat, Digital Sansad
vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in and nitika.evangeline@thehindu.co.in
