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Paper Title
Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges
Authors
Mettipally Navya Sri
Keywords
Women’s political participation, suffrage, constitutional reforms, reservation, Indian democracy
Abstract
Women’s political participation is a core indicator of democratic inclusiveness and gender equality. In India, the evolution of women’s political rights has been shaped by a unique historical trajectory that intertwines anti-colonial struggle, social reform movements, constitutional guarantees, and institutional innovations. This paper examines the historical evolution of women’s suffrage in India, the development of women’s political participation after independence, key global and national milestones in women’s political history, and the role of parliamentary debates and committees in shaping women-centric legislation, particularly the Women’s Reservation Bill. Drawing on historical analysis and institutional perspectives, the study highlights how women’s political empowerment in India has progressed from limited representation to constitutional recognition and recent legislative breakthroughs. However, despite significant gains, persistent structural, cultural, and institutional barriers continue to limit substantive political equality. The paper argues that while India has achieved formal gender parity in political rights, the challenge lies in transforming numerical representation into meaningful participation and leadership.
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IJRTI — journal style
"Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges", IJRTI - International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation (www.ijrti.org), ISSN:2456-3315, Vol.11, Issue 1, page no.a601-a603, January-2026, Available :https://ijrti.org/papers/IJRTI2601088.pdf
APA — 7th edition
Sri, M. N. (2026). Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges. International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation, 11(1), a601-a603. https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088
MLA — 9th edition
Sri, Mettipally Navya. "Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges." International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation, vol. 11, no. 1, 2026, pp. a601-a603, https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088.
Chicago — 17th, bibliography
Sri, Mettipally Navya. "Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges." International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation 11, no. 1 (2026): a601-a603. https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088.
Harvard — author–date
Sri, M.N. (2026) 'Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges', International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation, 11(1), pp. a601-a603. Available at: https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088
IEEE — numbered reference
M. N. Sri, "Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges," IJRTI, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. a601-a603, Jan. 2026.
Vancouver — biomedical
Sri MN. Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges. IJRTI. 2026 Jan;11(1):a601-a603.
AMA — 11th edition
Sri MN. Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges. IJRTI. 2026;11(1):a601-a603. Accessed at https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088
BibTeX — Zotero, Mendeley, LaTeX
@article{IJRTI2601088,
author = {Mettipally Navya Sri},
title = {Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges},
journal = {International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation},
volume = {11},
number = {1},
pages = {a601-a603},
year = {2026},
month = {January},
issn = {2456-3315},
url = {https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088}
}
RIS — EndNote, RefWorks
TY - JOUR
AU - Sri, Mettipally Navya
TI - Women’s Political Participation in India: Historical Evolution, Institutional Reforms, and Contemporary Challenges
T2 - International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation
JA - IJRTI
VL - 11
IS - 1
PY - 2026
SN - 2456-3315
UR - https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088
SP - a601-a603
ER -
Issue
Volume 11 Issue 1,
January-2026
Pages : a601-a603
Other Publication Details
Paper Reg. ID
IJRTI_209351
Published Paper ID
IJRTI2601088
Downloads
205,704
Research Area
Social Science and HumanitiesÂ
Country
Hyderabad , Telangana , India
Published
January 2026
Published Paper PDF
https://ijrti.org/papers/IJRTI2601088.pdf
Published Paper URL
https://ijrti.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJRTI2601088
About Publisher
International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation
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2456-3315
ISSN
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Impact Factor
2016
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Declarations
Funding
No external funding was received for this study.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the reviewers and the editorial board of International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation for their careful reading and constructive comments, and all colleagues who supported the preparation of this manuscript.
