Every political party loves talking about women empowerment, and yet they don’t really do anything about it.
When the TV cameras are rolling, politicians support reservation for women in legislative assemblies and talk about how Kerala has the best sex ratio, and yet, when it comes to empowering women politically, they back off.
A close look at the women candidates in Kerala Assembly elections and the number of women who made it to the council of ministers in past governments tells us the real story.
The News Minute brings you four charts that clearly show how political parties fail when it comes to giving women tickets to contest elections and to be a part of the government.
1. This chart shows the total number of women candidates from each of the major political forces in the state - UDF, LDF and NDA, for the 2016 Assembly Elections.
In a state where 51.9% voters are women, less than 10% of women are nominated to fight the elections.
2. The second chart depicts the districts that have got the best and the worst deal in terms of number of women candidates in the 2016 Assembly elections.
Even though Thrissur and Palakkad have the highest number of women candidates (6 candidates each), they are nearly not enough to represent the issues of women.
3. How many nominated candidates have won the elections? The third chart shows the number of women who got elected in the past five Assembly elections (2011,2006,2001,1996 and 1992)
In the last five legislative assemblies, there has not been a single one with more than 15 women MLAs.
4. So what happens to the few lucky ones who get elected? How many of them make it to the government? The fourth chart gives you the answer.
There has been only one woman minister in each of the last five successive governments. One woman minister for a state with almost 50% female population?
(This article has been published in arrangement with The News Minute.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)