Page 1 of 13

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e‐ISSN: 2395‐0463

Volume 01 Issue 02

March 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ Page | 324

Woman’s Emancipation through Her

Political Empowerment

Dr. Arvinder Singh

Head, Department of Political Science, Ramgarhia College, Phagwara (Punjab)

Email: arvindersinghbhalla@gmail.com

Abstract

In the era of scientific-technological

advancement and democracy, women still

face the multiple social, religious, political

and economic discriminations. In the

political sphere, they are marginalized,

discouraged and face several restrictions

and strong resistance. In the male

dominated world, the parochial mindsets

and age-old traditions do not allow them to

participate in politics due to variety of

reasons. Women need political

empowerment in order to improve their

socio-economic status in any society. In

order to put an end to the gender

discriminations and the heinous crimes

against women, there is immense need of

political empowerment of woman because

a woman is in better position to

understand the problems and the

grievances of a woman.

Introductory Background:

Currently, gender

discriminations, crimes against women

and other related gender issues have

drawn the attention of academicians,

political leaders and policy makers.

Gender injustice is being given due

notice and stress is being laid on

women empowerment at all academic,

socio-economic, religious and political

platforms. It is the global

consciousness of the relentless

discrimination against women and the

consequences of the blatant

unfairness and injustice that have

focused global attention on gender

justice and attempts to find local and

global ways to redress it.1 Though it is

a general view that women play a

crucial role in the society, yet she

faces the wide range of inequalities

and suffers unbearable

Page 2 of 13

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e‐ISSN: 2395‐0463

Volume 01 Issue 02

March 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ Page | 325

discriminations, exploitation and

injustice. She plays pivotal role within

the family but as she dreams to

participate in politics, male dominated

society enforces the several

restrictions on her. In spite of the

many benefits of fully engaging women

in society, women still face significant

barriers to entering government and

shaping the decisions and policies that

influence their lives. Sometimes the

barriers to women’s participation are

legal. Around the world, for example,

women had to advocate and lobby for

the right to vote. The first country to

grant women the right to vote was New

Zealand in 1893. Women in Kuwait

were not enfranchised until 2005.

Often, the barriers to women’s

participation are social, economic or

structural. Globally, women’s

education and literacy levels are lower

than men’s. So even if women are not

legally prevented from running for

office, educational requirements or

candidate registration processes may,

in practice, exclude the majority of

women.2

The nature of present day

politics, from grass root level to

international level, creates hindrances

in the way of women’s political

participation. A major deterrent for

women to enter politics is the very

nature of politicking. Money and

muscle power are used to threaten

opponents and the voters; and impose

their decisions on the electorate and to

raise the kinds of funds required to get

into and stay in power. Violating

women’s dignity is an integral part of

politics instilling fear in women,

thereby restraining their entry into

politics. In addition, corruption is also

institutionalised systematically.

Criminalisation and corruption are not

part of women’s value systems and

therefore they are kept away from

Page 3 of 13

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e‐ISSN: 2395‐0463

Volume 01 Issue 02

March 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ Page | 326

politics in general. Once in power they

are unable to withstand these forces

and their attempts in the political

activities are frustrated. This impairs

women exercising their right to

participate in politics.3

In a world where men's needs

are conflated with human needs, we

must be aware that many of women's

so-called 'needs' arise from their

subordinate position to men; and that it

is this position which needs to change.

We must be suspicious of the notion

that women have special or additional

needs: women need to be protected,

women need childcare benefits,

women need alimony, and women

need development aid, and so on.

What has not been said often enough

is that women's primary need is for

freedom from subordination to men. If

subordination to men is seen as the

underlying reason for women's

immediate, practical needs, then these

needs can be seen in a new light: for

example, women would not 'need'

childcare if it were accepted that both

parents had equal responsibility for the

care of their children. Similarly, women

would not 'need' alimony if they were

paid fair salaries, which did not

discriminate on grounds of sex.

Women might not 'need' development

aid if more women were in decision- making positions so that development

policies and structural adjustment

programmes did not depend on

increasing amounts of unpaid labour

performed by women. 4 In the 21st

century, there is immense need to get

rid of the illogical frame of mind, which

encourages an individual to

discriminate between the needs of

men and women. Both men and

women are human beings and both

need the equal opportunities and

favourable socio-economic and

political conditions to make the