IS RESERVATION FOR WOMEN A REAL SOLUTION?

Many people and political parties favour and agitate for 33.33 per cent reservation for women in State legislatures and the Parliament. I feel the reservation is only like putting medicine to a wound as a temporary measure but will not lead to real empowerment of women.

Though, it had helped some women here and there to become concious about the ruling class' economic onslaught against the people and social, cultural and political degradition, reservation has degraded a large number of women in local bodies in Tamil Nadu as we are witnessing they are literally being represented by their husbands or other male members of the family.

I feel, those who are really interested in women development should advocate and organise democratic movements among women on burning social issues which will truely make them conscious about the society and as make politicians in a real sense.

All right, if at all we need reservation for women, I don’t understand why it should be only 33.33 per cent? Why not 50 per cent? And really, what is the rationale behind the 33.33 per cent?