We in India are famous for mistreating women. Our male to female sex ratio is dismal and female infanticide is routine. The last few years have seen a rise in horrific crimes against women, and the country's glittering cities and remote villages have one thing in common: women and girl children are at risk.
As the country went to the polls this month – and on Friday declared Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the landslide winner for prime minister – the issue of women’s empowerment was high on the agenda. Taking the fight for safety and dignity into their own hands, women expressed a collective voice and registered their demands by turning out in some of the largest numbers ever at the polls.
Provisional data from the Election Commission indicated that in five states which completed polling in the first four phases of the Lok Sabha (Lower house) elections, women had a higher voting percentage than men. And as more data came in from states voting later, male participation was in many cases less than a percentage point higher than women.
Leading from the Front
For the second time since male and female voting numbers here have been counted separately, women have beaten men. The Election Commission said the gap between male and female voters in India has been falling steadily since 1962.
Women, accounting for 45 percent of votes cast in 2009, have historically voted at lower rates than men. But government campaigns to draw in the women population seem finally to be paying off. The massive "My Vote My Safety" campaign encouraged women to vote to ensure a safer society. Corporate players, perhaps motivated by different interests, also did their part: the country's influential TATA group launched the Power of 49, an initiative highlighting the power of women – who form 49 percent of the electoral base – to sway the general elections.
Vikram Grover, vice president of marketing for Tata Global Beverages, said, “Our mission is to create 100 million informed voters. We will use every platform that enables us to connect to large numbers of women voters.”
A number of Bollywood celebrities also spoke about the women voting campaign, lending their charisma in footage that reached millions of people. Their campaign tied in with several television soaps, further leveraging the call for social change.
Campaigning for the Vote
“These campaigns were extremely important and television plays a great role since they cut across the illiteracy barrier,” says Sushant Vidyant, a social science researcher examining the power of television o bring about change in India.
“But what ultimately sung the game was the post-Nirbhaya outpouring of grief and rage that brought home the message rather forcefully – [that] Indian women have to fight for their safety.”
The horrific 2012 gang rape involving a 23-year-old female made the nation sit up. The brave victim was termed “Nirbhaya” or "the fearless one" for her role in trying to attain justice. While the incident happened in Delhi, protests against the horror of rape and the plight of women in India rocked the country as thousands poured into the streets.
“This was an occasion for women to actually talk publicly and without any shame about the many horrors they face,” says Vatsala, a college student from Kolkata. “As I walked in solidarity, I suddenly realized my own power to bring about change.”
Coming Together
Sociologist Mala Sinha adds that “these marches helped bring women together as a body,” and this realization has translated into women's understanding the power of casting a ballot. Coupled with government, corporate and celebrity efforts to encourage voting, many women’s groups took pledges to show up at the polls.
Anganwadi child and healthcare workers, and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in many rural districts committed to leading women voters to participate in the elections. Micro-lending and self-help groups composed mainly of women also emerged as a driving force. Amam Bibi, the leader of a small women's group on the outskirts of Delhi, said women responded to the dual message of voting and protecting their rights.
“Gradually they stared seeing the truth of what I am saying,” says Bibi. On one occasion, the group went to speak to a husband who wasn’t allowing his wife to go to the polling station, and got him to change his mind. “I would like to believe it was our persuasive words, but I think [it was] our group walking up to his door that scared him.”
So does this mean that we are on the cusp of a revolution in regards to women and politics in India? Maybe, or maybe not. Activists say that while more women coming out to vote is a huge step, now what are needed are larger numbers of women candidates standing for elections, too.
“For now this is a slap on the face of misogyny,” says Sonal Batra, another college student in Kolkata. “In areas where women aren’t even allowed to come out of their homes, it’s a huge thing to be able to go and vote.”
A recent UN report confirms that Indian women still remain without adequate access to education. But as Meenal, a daily wage worker from Delhi, says, "You don’t need to read to cast your vote."
"Look around your surroundings, check which leader’s words resonate the most – and press a button. We can do this much.”
Follow the author Paromita Pain on the Commons or on twitter at @ParoP
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