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Bhubaneswar: Even as the World will be celebrating the International Women's Day on Sunday with the theme #EachforEqual, the shocker is a UNDP report released on Friday shows even women are prejudiced towards women.
As per the UN report 'Tackling Social Norms: A game-changer for gender inequalities', when 91 per cent of men show one clear bias against gender equality, the proportion of women thinking the same stood at a massive 86 per cent.
The UNDP has carried a survey in 75 countries, including India, on some poignant issues like gender equality in politics, economic, education, intimate partner violence and women’s reproductive rights.
It has released a Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI), which shows how the share of men and women with no bias against gender equality fell sharply in countries like India, Sweden, Germany and Mexico. The big thing here is Germany is now being led a woman leader Angela Merkel.
Terming it as backlash, the GSNI has put India 3rd from bottom among men showing bias against gender equality, and 2nd from bottom among women. The report says more than 50 per cent women think men make better political leaders than women do.
The ground reality in Odisha vindicates the survey. A look at the 2019 elections here tells a bigger tale.
Consider this. In 2019 polls, women polling percentage in Odisha stood high at 74.98 per cent vis-a-vis over 71 per cent male turnout. Women candidates were in the poll fray in as many as 80 constituencies. But a majority of 27 were independent candidates.
Why so? Because, BJD, despite CM Naveen Patnaik writing to all & sundry regarding 33 per cent reservation for women in parliament & assemblies, could field only 20 women candidates. In fact, 33 per cent means at least 44 women candidates.
The other political parties did not do any great service. BJP could field only 11 women candidates, when PM Modi has been advocating persistently on women participation in nation building.
The GOP, Grand Old Party, Indian National Congress, whose president was an woman thanks to 'Gandhi' surname, fielded only 13 women candidates.
However, to be fair, fielding of women candidates by mainstream political parties in Odisha did post some improvement vis-a-vis 2014 polls.
In 2014 Assembly Elections, BJD had fielded 14 women, BJP 11 and Congress 8 women, respectively.
Now, take a glance at the voting pattern of women voters here. Because, blaming the political parties alone won't be fair.
Though women contested in as many as 80 seats, only 12 could make it into the State Assembly.
Proportionately looked, women legislators proportion in Odisha assembly stood at mere 8 per cent of total legislators. In 2014, the proportion in Odisha was 7 per cent female legislators to 93 per cent male law makers. Overall, the representation count has gone up marginally by 1 per cent in 2019.
Nationally, Odisha stood at 15th among 32 states & UTs. BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) states put up a good show. Bihar tops country with a 14 per cent women legislators. Delhi, where dole outs were given to lure women voters recently, has around 11 per cent female legislators.
But all is not gloom and doom for Odisha, the State is ahead of progressive states like Kerala and Karnataka.
Now sample the big howlers. Despite nearly half women voters, many prominent women leaders had to bite the dust in their poll battle with male candidates.
*BJP leader Radha Rani Panda tasted defeat at the hands of Kishore Mohanty (BJD) in Brajarajnagar.
*Similar, is the case of BJP women stalwarts: Pravati Parida ( Nimapara) & Surama Padhy ( Ranpur). Even, a well known actress Aparajita Mohanty couldn't script a ballot box hit from BBSR North.
This is not the case with BJP alone. Despite Naveen' s tsunami, BJD stalwarts also faced Waterloo at the hands of men.
*Rasheswari Panigrahi( Sambalpur) lost to BJP' s Jaya Narayan Mishra
*Even, Nandini Dev having a royal lineage lost to controversial INC candidate Ramesh Jena.
*Royal heiress of Paralakhemundi Kalyani Gajpati lost to male BJP candidate.
The bottom line: The above factual analysis shows women voters in Odisha didn't show any preference to even prominent women leaders.
But the big takeaway here is women leaders are battle ready in Odisha. Though political parties didn't give them enough scope to fight polls, as many as 27 jumped to the poll fray to fight independently.
Alas! women voters let them down and all of them have forfeited deposits and the UNDP report released had simply put a glare on how women having a prejudice towards women in politics.
