Exploring the Underrepresentation of Women in Kerala's Political System: A Study of Uneven Patterns of Gender Equality, Challenges and Progress

Abstract

One indication of Kerala's progress toward gender equality is the proportion of women in the legislature. This essay examines how women are underrepresented in Kerala's political system and elected bodies. According to data gathered from multiple sources, the legislative, Rajya Sabha, and Lok Sabha constituencies assigned to Kerala have very few female representations. We cannot close the gender gap in how people are portrayed in a state without considering these realities. The interplay of class, caste, and religious patriarchal and gender inscriptions is exemplified by the Kerala women in the patriarchal system. As a result, the study challenge centres on gender equality as a latent contradiction in Keralan women's daily lives. The study aims to determine whether women's equal rights are acknowledged. Kerala has a high human development index, yet women's representation does not match this. We can see that, in terms of representation, fewer than 10% of women are visible between 1960 and 2006. All political parties in Kerala ignore women's representation in the public sphere and politics, regardless of the colour of their flag. The population of women in Kerala is somewhat higher than that of men in every legislative constituency. Still, as of 2021, there is very little political representation for women in the Kerala legislative assembly.